~""i>~~     ""'"^ 


SAY,  TEACHER,  1  GOT  SOMETHING  FOR  YOL 


PAGE  8! 


LITTLE 
CITIZENS 

THE  HUMOURS  OF  SCHOOL  LIFE 

BY 

MYRA    KELLY 

•  t 
ILLUSTRATED  BY  W.  D.  STEVENS 


GROSSET     &      DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS     -     NEW    YORK 


Copyright,  1904,  by 

McCLURE,   PHILLIPS    &   CO. 

Published.  October,  1904 


COPYRIGHT,  1902- 190.5-1  §04.  »Y  THE  S.  S.  McCtuRE  Co 
COPYRIGHT,  1904,  BY  P.  P.  COLLIER  &  SON 


TO     MY     MOTHER 


47972 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A  LITTLE  MATTER  OF  REAL  ESTATE 3 

THE  USES  OF  ADVERSITY 35 

A  CHRISTMAS  PRESENT  FOR  A  LADY 65 

LOVE  AMONG  THE  BLACKBOARDS 89  l 

MORRIS  AND  THE  HONOURABLE  TIM 125 

WHEN  A  MAN'S  WIDOWED 161 

H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET   .    .    .195 

THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 239 

A  PASSPORT  TO  PARADISE 279 

THE  TOUCH  OF  NATURE 315 


LIST    OP    ILLUSTRATIONS 


"  Say,  Teacher,  I  got  something  for  you".  Frontispiece 


FACTlfO 
PAGE 


Isidore  Belchatosky,  the  Adonis  of  the  class  .  .  22 

"  I  got  two  swollen  legs  over  her  " 23 

"  My  dear  little  chap,  you  mustn't  cry  like  that  "  68 
"  Dismissed  with  tro  common  herd  at  three 

o'clock"  . 69 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  leave  this  room  "  ...  156 

"  Teacher,  I  tells  you  'scuse  " 157 

"  So  you  want  lick,  so  you  can  lick  "  .  .  .  .172 
"  She's  a  beautiful  yonge  uptown  lady,  but  easy 

scared,  Oh,  awful  easy  scared  I"  ...  173 
"  Don't  you  dast  to  touch  me,"  he  yelled  .  .  210 

"  Look  at  your  back!" 211 

"  Youll  wish  you  minded  your  own business 

before  I  get  through  with  you  "  .  .  .  .  234 
Morris  Mogilewsky  .  .  .  ,  ....  235 

"  I  washes  me  the  face" 288 

"  Ain't  you  never  comin'  on  the  school  for  to  see 

mine  teacher  ?"       289 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 


A  LITTLE    MATTER    OF    REAL  ESTATE 

Four  weeks  of  teaching  in  a  lower  East  Side 
school  had  deprived  Constance  Bailey  of 
many  of  the  "Ideals  in  Education"  which, 
during  four  years  at  college,  she  had  trust 
ingly  acquired.  But,  despite  many  discour 
agements,  (.  despite  an  unintelligible  dialect 
and  an  autocratic  "  Course  of  Study,")  she 
clung  to  an  ambition  to  establish  harmony 
in  her  kingdom  and  to  impress  a  high  moral 
tone  upon  the  fifty-eight  little  children  of 
Israel  entrusted  to  her  care.  She  was  there 
fore  troubled  and  heavy  of  heart  when  it  was 
borne  in  upon  her  that  two  of  her  little 
flock  —  cousins  to  boot,  and  girls  —  had  so 

[3] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

far  forgotten  the  Golden  Rule  as  to  be  "  in  ad 
on  theirselves  und  wouldn't  to  talk  even, ' '  as 
that  Bureau  of  Fashionable  Intelligence, 
Sarah  Schrodsky,  duly  reported. 

\TJnd  Teacher,"  Sarah  continued,  "Eva 
Gonorowsky's  mamma  has  a  mad  on  Sadie 
Gonorowsky's  mamma,  und  her  papa  has  a 
mad  on  her  papa,  und  her  gran 'ma  ha>  a 
mad  on  both  of  papas  und  both  of  mammas, 
und  her  grun'pa  has  a  mad  somethin'  fierce 
on  both  of  uncles,  und  her  auntie  - 

Here  Miss  Bailey  sent  the  too  communi 
cative  Sarah  to  her  place  and  called  the  di 
vided  house  of  Gonorowsky  to  her  desk  for 
instant  judgment.  And  as  she  held  forth 
she  was  delighted  to  see  that  her  words 
were  falling  upon  good  ground,  for  the 
dark  and  dainty  features  of  her  hearers 
expressed  a  Haltering  degree  of  conviction 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

and  of  humility.  She  was  admiring  the 
wonderful  lashes  lying  damp  and  dark  on 
Eva's  smooth  cheek  when  the  beautiful 
eyes  unclosed,  gazed  straight  across  the 
desk  at  Sadie,  and  Eva  took  a  flying  leap 
into  Teacher's  lap  to  cling  with  arms  and 
knees  and  ringers  to  her  chosen  refuge. 

"Oh,  Teacher,  Teacher,"  she  wailed, 
"  Sadie  makes  on  me  such  a  snoot  I  got  a 
scare  over  it." 

Miss  Bailey  turned  to  /Jie  so  lately  placid 
face  of  Sadie  in  search  of  the  devastating 
"snoot,"  but  met  only  a  serene  glance  of 
conscious  guilelessness  and  the  assurance : 

"No  ma'an,  I  don't  makes  no  snoot  on 
nobody.  I  get  killed  as  anything  off  of 
my  mamma  sooner  I  makes  a  snoot.  It 
ain't  polite. ' '  This  with  a  reassuring  smile 
and  direct  and  candid  gaze. 
[5] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

'Teacher,  yiss  ma' an,  she  makes  all 
times  a  snoot  on  me,"  cried  the  now  weep 
ing  Eva,  "all  times.  She  turns  her  nose 
around,  und  makes  go  away  her  eyes, 
und  comes  her  tongue  out  long.  On'y  I 
dassent  to  fight  mit  her  while  I'm  cousins 
mit  her.  Und  over  cousins  you  got  all 
times  kind  feelings." 

'Well,  Sadie,"  Teacher  questioned, 
' '  what  have  you  to  say  ?  ' 

The  dark  eyes  met  Teacher's  with  no 
shadow  in  their  depths  as  Sadie  uttered  her 
denial/ 

' '  I  never  in  my  world  done  no  snoot. ' ' 

A  shudder  of  admiring  awe  swept  over 

the  assembled  class  — -  followed  by  a  gasp  of 

open  contradiction  as  Sadie  went  on  with 

her  vindication.     For  Sadie's  snoots  were 

the  envy  of  all  the  class.     JHad  not  Morris 

[6] 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

Mogilewsky  paid  three  cents  for  lessons  in 
the  art,  and,  with  the  accomplishment, 
frightened  a  baby  into  what  its  angry 
mother  described  as  "spine-yell  convul 
sions'  •  ?)  And  now  Sadie  was  saying,  5 '  I 
couldn't  to  make  no  snoot.  Never.  But, 
Teachef,  it's  like  this:  Eva  makes  me 
whoie  bunches  of  trouble.  Bertha  Binder- 
witz  und  me  is  monitors  in  the  yard  when 
the  childrens  comes  back  from  dinner. 
So-o-oh,  1  says,  '  front  dress, '  like  you  says, 
so  tne  childrens  shall  look  on  what  head 
is  in  front  of  them.  On'y  Eva  she  don't 
'front  dress'  at  all,  but  extra  she  longs 
out  ner  neck  und  rubs  on  me  somethin' 
fierce  — "* 

" "  It's  a  lie ! ' '  interrupted  Eva  gently.     '  *  I 
don't   make   nothing   like   that.     I    stands 
by  my  line  und  Sadie  she  makes  faces  on 
[7] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

me  with  her  hand.  It  ain't  polite."  (This 
with  plaintive  self -righteousness.  "No 
ma'an,  it  ain't  polite  —  you  makes  snoots 
mit  your  hand  like  this."  And  as  Eva 
illustrated  with  outspread  fingers  and  a  pink 
thumb  in  juxtaposition  to  a  diminutive 
nose,  Teacher,  with  uncertain  gravity,  was 
forced  to  admit  that  snoots  of  that  descrip 
tion  are  sanctioned  by  few  books  of  eti 
quette.  ) 

"Now,  my  dear  little  girls,"  said  she, 
"this  quarrelling  must  stop.  I  want  vou 
to  kiss  each  other  as  cousins  should." 

This  suggestion  was  a  distinct  failure- 
Eva  and  Sadie,  with  much  fluttering  of 
aprons  and  waving  of  curls,  sought  opposite 
corners  of  the  schoolroom,  while  up  started 
Sarah  Schrodsky  with:  "Teacher,  they 
couldn't  to  make  no  kissing.  They're  mad 
[8] 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

on  theirselves  'cause  their  mammas  has  a 
mad.  Sadie's  mamma  says  like  this  on 
Eva's  mamma,  'Don't  you  dast  to  talk  to 
me  —  you  lives  by  the  fifth  floor  und  your 
man  is  a  robber.'  ItJnd  Eva's  mamma 
says  — " 

When  Teacher  had  managed  to  silence 
Sarah  she  led  the  weeping  Gonorowskys 
back  to  their  places  and  the  scholastic  world 
wagged  on  in  outward  tranquillity. 

Hostilities  were  temporarily  suspended 
some  days  later  owing  to  the  illness  of 
Sadie,  by  far  the  more  aggressive  of  the 
opposing  parties.  |  Eva  led  a  placid  life 
for  three  peaceful  days,  and  then  —  as  by 
law  prescribed  and  postal  card  invited  — 
Sadie's  mother  came  to  explain  her  daugh 
ter's  absence.  Large  of  person,  bland  of 
manner,  in  a  heavy  black  shawl  and  a 

[9] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

heavier  black  wig,  Mrs.  Lazarus  Gono 
rowsky  stood  beaming  and  bobbing  in  the 
hall. 

"I  likes  I  should  Sadie  Gonorowsky 's 
teacher  see,"  she  began,  in  the  peculiar 
English  of  the  adult  population  of  the  East 
Side.  Mrs.  Gonorowsky  could  neither  use 
nor  understand  her  young  daughter's  copi 
ous  invective.  Upon  being  assured  that 
the  diminutive  form  before  her  was  indeed 
clothed  with  authority,  she  announced: 

"Comes  a  letter  I  should  by  the  school 
come.  I  was  Sadie's  mamma. ' '  Here  she 
drew  from  the  inner  recesses  of  the  black 
shawl  a  bundle  which,  being  placed  in  a 
perpendicular  position,  proved  to  be  the 
most  recent  addition  to  the  Gonorowsky 
household.  She  smoothed  it  with  a  work- 
worn  but  tender  hand,  and  repeated  in  a 
[10] 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

saddened  voice:  "Yes,  ma'am,  I  was  her 
mamma  und  she  lays  now  on  the  bed." 

The  increasing  sadness  of  Mrs.  Gono- 
rowsky's  announcement  and  its  sinister 
phraseology  startled  Teacher.  ' '  Not  dead ! ' ' 
she  cried.  * '  Oh,  surely  not  dead ! ' ' 

* '  Sure  not, ' '  was  the  indignant  response. 
"She's  got  such  a  sickness  she  must  lay  on 
the  bed,  und  comes  the  doctor.  Sadie's 
papa  holds  much  on  that  child,  Miss 
Teacher,  und  all  times  he  has  a  worry  over 
her.  Me  too.  She  comes  by  the  school  to 
morrow  maybe,  und  I  ask  you  by  a  favour 
you  should  do  me  the  kindness  to  look  on 
her.  So  she  feel  again  sick  she  should  better 
on  the  house  come.  She  say, '  Oh,  mamma, 
I  got  a  lovely  teacher;  I  likes  to  look  on  her 
the  while  she  has  such  a  light  face. ' ' 

Having  thus  diplomatically  led  up  to  a 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

question,    Mrs.    Gonorowsky    with    great 
suavity  asked,  ' '  Sadie  is  a  good  girl,  hein  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed." 

' '  She  is  shmardt,  hein  ?  She  don't  make 
you  no  troubles?" 

'Well,"  Miss  Bailey  answered,  "she 
has  rather  bothered  me  lately  by  quarrelling 
with  her  little  cousin,  Eva." 

"So-o-oh!"  exclaimed  Sadie's  parent 
ponderously.  "So-o-oh,  Eva  Gonorowsky 
makes  you  troubles ;  she  is  a  bad  girl  —  I 
tell  Sadie  —  Sadie  is  a  good  girl  —  I  tell  her 
she  should  make  nothings  with  Eva  soch 
a  bad  girl.  For  what  you  not  put  her  back 
by  baby  class  ?  She  is  not  shmardt. ' ' 

' '  Oh,  but  she  is ;  she  is  a  bright  little  thing, ' ' 
cried  Teacher.  '  *  I  couldn't  think  of  putting 
her  back.  She's  a  dear  little  girl  and  I  can't 
imagine  why  Sadie  quarrels  with  her." 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

Mrs.  Gonorowsky  drew  her  ample  form 
to  a  wonderful  erectness,  readjusted  her 
shawl,  and  answered  with  much  stateliness : 

' '  It  was  a  trouble  from  off  of  real  estate. ' ' 
With  dignity  and  blandness  she  proceeded 
to  kiss  Teacher's  hand,  and  signified  entire 
willingness  to  entrust  her  precious  Sadie  to 
the  care  of  so  estimable  a  young  person,  in 
quired  solicitously  if  the  work  were  not  too 
much  for  so  small  a  lady,  and  cautioned 
the  young  person  against  rainy  mornings. 
Had  she  a  mackintosh  ?  Mr.  Gonorowsky 
was  selling  them  off  that  week.  Were 
her  imperceptibles  sufficiently  warm  ?  Mr. 
Gonorowsky,  by  a  strange  chance,  was  ab 
solutely  giving  away  "fine  all  from  wool" 
imperceptibles,  and  the  store  was  near. 
Mrs.  Gonorowsky  then  withdrew,  leaving 
a  kindly  sentiment  in  Teacher's  heart  and 
[13] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

an  atmosphere  of  ironing-boards  and  onions 
in  the  hall.  On  the  following  morning 
Sadie  returned(to  her  "  light-faced  "  teacher, 
and  for  one  whole  day  hostilities  were 
suspended. 

But  on  the  morning  after  this  truce  Evr 
was  absent  from  her  accustomed  place 
and  Sadie  blandly  disclaimed  all  knowledge 
of  her  whereabouts.  After  the  noon  recess 
a  pathetic  little  figure  wavered  in  the  door 
way  with  one  arm  in  a  sling  and  one  eye 
in  a  poultice.  The  remaining  eye  wa*s 
fixed  in  deep  reproach  on  the  face  of  Isidore 
Belchatosky,  the  Adonis  of  the  class,  and 
the  eye  was  the  eye  of  Eva. 

"Eva!"  exclaimed  Teacher,  "oh,  Eva, 
what  can  you  have  been  doing?  What's 
the  matter  with  your  eye  ? ' ' 

*  *  Isidore  Belchatosky  he  goes  und  makes 
[14] 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

me  this  here  shiner,"  said  Eva's  accusing 
voice,  as  the  eye  under  the  poultice  was 
uncovered  for  a  moment.  It  was  indeed 
a  "shiner"  of  aggravated  aspect,  and 
Isidore  cringed  as  it  met  his  affrighted 
gaze.  The  sling  and  the  bandages  were 
of  gay  chintz,  showing  forth  the  adventures 
of  Robinson  Crusoe,  and  their  lurid  colours 
made  them  horribly  conspicuous.  Friday 
scampered  across  Eva's  forehead,  pursued 
by  savages ;  and  Crusoe,  under  his  enormous 
umbrella,  nestled  close  to  her  heart. 

''Surely  Isidore  would  never  hit  a  little 
girl?"   Teacher   remonstrated. 

'Teacher,  yiss  ma' an;  he  makes  me 
this  here  shiner.  Sadie  she  goes  und  tells 
him  she  kisses  him  a  kiss  so  he  makes  me 
a  shiner.  He's  lovin'  mit  her  und  she's  got 
kind  feelin's  by  him,  the  while  his  papa's 
[15] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

got  a  candy  cart.  It's  a  stylish  candy  cart 
mit  a  bell  und  a  horn.  So-o-oh  I  was  yester 
day  on  the  store  for  buy  my  mamma  some 
wurst,  und  I  don't  make  nothings  mit 
nobody. ' ' 

llere  the  poor,  half-blind  Eva,  with  her 
love  and  talent  for  pantomime,  took  a  gay 
little  walk  past  Teacher's  desk,  with  tossing 
head  and  swinging  skirts.  Then  with  a 
cry  she  recoiled  from  the  very  memory  of 
her  wrongs.) 

' '  Come  Isidore !  Und  he  hits  me  a  hack 
on  my  leg  so  I  couldn't  to  hold  it  even.  So 
I  falls  und  I  make  me  this  here  shiner. 
Und  when  my  mamma  seen  how  comes  such 
a  bile  on  my  bone  she  had  a  mad;  she 
hollered  somethin'  fierce. ' ' 

^One    could    well    sympathize    with    the 
harassed  Mrs.   Nathan   Gonorowsky. 
[16] 


A    LITTLE    MATTER    OF     REAL    ESTATE 

'  *  So-o-oh, ' '  continued  Eva  with  melan 
choly  enjoyment,  "my  mamma  she  puts 
medsin  at  a  rag  und  bangages  up  mine  eye. 
Und  now  I  ain't  healthy." 

"Sadie  Gonorowsky,  come  here! "/com 
manded  Miss  Bailey,  in  a  voice  which  lifted 
Sadie  bodily  from  the  place  to  which  she 
had  guiltily  determined  to  cling.  And 
Sadie  went,  jaunty  of  air,  but  with  shifting 
eyes. 

"Isidore  Belchatosky,  come  here!"  com 
manded  Miss  Bailey,  and  Isidore  slunk  after 
his  divinity. 

Teacher  was  savagely  angry,  but  by 
laws  forbade  corporal  punishment,  and  prin 
ciples—and  the  Principal — forbade  noisy 
upbraidings.  And  so  with  long,  strange 
words,  to  supply  the  element  of  dread 
uncertainty,  she  began  to  speak,  slowly 
[17] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

and  coldly  as  one  ever  should  when  ad 
dressing  ears  accustomed  to  much  sputtering 
profanityj 

"Sadie  and  Isidore,  did  you  dare  to  in 
terfere  with  the  life,  the  liberty  and  the 
happiness  of  our  cherished  young  friend, 
Eva  Gonorowsky?  Did  you  dare?" 

"No  ma' an,"  said  Sadie  with  a  sob. 

"It's  a  lie!"  said  Isidore  with  a  snuffle. 

"Did  you,  Isidore,  allow  yourself  to  be 
tempted  by  beauty  to  such  inconceivable 
depravity  as  to  blacken  Eva's  eye  ? ' ' 

6 '  No  ma'an.     Self  done  it. " 

"Did  you,  Sadie,  descend  so  low  as  to 
barter  kisse*s  with  Isidore  Belchatosky  ?" 

"No  ma'an,"  this  with  much  scorn. 
"I  wouldn't  to  kiss  him;  he's  a  scare-cat, 
und  he  tells  out. ' ' 

"What  did  he  tell?"  asked  Teacher. 


A  LITTLE  MATTER  OF  REAL  ESTATE 

"He  tells  out  how  I  say  I  kiss  him 
a  kiss  so  he  make  Eva  a  shiner.  Und 
I  wouldn't  to  do  it.  Never.  So  he  gave 
me  five  cents  even,  I  wouldn't  to  kiss  no 
scare-cat. ' ' 

"Well,  then,  why  did  you  promise?" 

* '  'Cause  I  couldn't  to  hit  her  mineself , ' ' 
said  the  doughty  Sadie.  She  was  inches 
taller  than  her  victim,  and  stout  withal. 
"I  couldn't,  'cause  I  ain't  so  healthy; 
I'm  a  nervous  child,  Teacher,  und  I  was 
day-before-yesterday  sick  on  the  bed. ' ' 

Here  the  plaintive  plaintiff  showed  a 
desire  to  testify  once  more,  and  Teacher 
appointed  three-thirty  that  afternoon  as  the 
hour  most  suitable  for  a  thorough  examina 
tion  of  the  case. 

When  the  last  arm  had  been  twisted 
into  the  last  sleeve,  when  the  last  chin  had 

[19] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

been  tied  into  the  last  shawl,  when  the  last 
dispute  as  to  ownership  in  disreputable 
mittens  had  been  settled,  the  great  case  of 
Gonorowsky  vs.  Gonorowsky  was  called. 
On  either  side  of  the  desk  stood  a  diminu 
tive  Gonorowsky;  Eva  still  plaintive,  and 
Sadie,  redly,  on  the  defensive.  Directly  in 
front  stood  that  labourer  defrauded  of 
his  hire,  that  tool  in  the  hands  of  guileful 
woman  —  Isidore  Belchatosky. 

"Now,"  Teacher  began,  "I  want  to 
hear  nothing  but  the  truth.  Isidore,  did 
you  hit  Eva?" 

"Yiss  ma'an." 

"What  for?" 

"For  a  kiss." 

"From   whom?" 

Here  Sadie  muttered  a  threat  "to  lay 
him  down  dead  if  he  tells, ' '  and  Isidore 
[20] 


A   LITTLE   MATTER   OF   REAL  ESTATE 

required  promise  of  safe  conduct  to  his  own 
block  before  he  consented  to  murmur: 

"Sadie  Gonorowsky." 

"  Did  you  get  the  kiss  ?  " 

"Noma'an." 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  this  fight  ?  " 

"No  ma' an." 

''Well,  then,  you  may  go  home  now,  and 
bring  your  mother  with  you  to-morrow 
morning." 

Isidore  left  with  a  heavy  heart  and  the  en 
quiry  was  continued. 

''What  has  Sadie  been  doing  to  you, 
Eva?"  asked  Teacher,  and  Eva,  with  re 
signed  mien,  answered : 

"All  things,"  and  then  details  followed. 

"  She  makes  on  me  a  snoot,  she  pulls  me  on 

the  bottom  of  my  hair,  she  goes  und  takes 

her  pencil  und  gives  me  a  stick  in  my  face. 

[21] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

When  I  was  marchin'  she  extra  takes  her 
shoes  und  steps  at  my  legs;  I  got  two  swol 
len  legs  over  her.  Und  now"  — here  a  sob 
"  you  could  to  look  on  how  she  makes  me 
biles  und  shiners." 

As  Eva's  voice  droned  out  these  many  ac 
cusations,  Sadie  grew  more  emphatic  in  her 
favourite  repartee: 

"It's  a  lie!     It's  a  lie!     It's  a  lie!" 

"And  now,  Eva,  will  you  tell  me  why 
Sadie  has  been  doing  all  these  naughty 
things?" 

"Teacher,  I  don't  know." 

"Oh,  yes;  you  do!" 

"No  ma'an;  I  don't.  I  could  swear  if  1 
do.  I  kiss  up  to  God. "  She  wafted  a  kiss 
towards  the  ceiling.  "I  got  all  times  a  kind 
feelin'  over  Sadie,  on'y  she  wouldn't  to  be 
glad  on  me.  (l  seen  yesterday  her  little 


ISIDORE     BELCHATOSKY.     THE     ADONIS     OF     THE     CLAS: 


I     GOT     TWO    SWOLLEN     LEGS     OVER     HER 


A  LITTLE  MATTER   OF   REAL  ESTATE 

brother  in  the  street  mit  Sadie  und  she  make 
he  shouldn't  to  talk  to  me.  My  heart  it 
breaks  when  she  make  like  that;  I'm  got  no 
brother  und  no  sister  und  I'm  lovin'  so  much 
mit  my  little  cousin.  She  goes  und  makes 
he  should  say  nothin'  und  in  mine  eyes 
stands  tears.  I  was  sad." 

"Well,  dear,  that's  a  shame,"  said  Teach 
er,  "and  if  you  really  don't  understand, 
go  out  into  the  assembly  room  and  wait  for 
me.  Sadie  is  going  to  tell  me  all  about  it." 
^Eva  vanished,  only  to  return  with  the  lurid 
bandage  in  her  hand  and  the  query:  — "  Can 
I  make  this  wet?" 

Upon  receiving  permission  so  to  do  she  re 
tired  with  her  courteous  "Good-afternoon, 
Teacher,"  and  her  unchanged  "Good-by, 
Sadie;  I'm  got  yet  that  kind  feelin'."  Truly 
the  "pangs  of  disprized  love"  seemed  hers.l 
[23] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Several  kinds  of  persuasion  were 
tised  in  Room  18  during  the  next  five  min 
utes.  Then  Sadie  accepted  defeat,  faced 
the  inevitable,  and  began : 

"  It's  like  this :  I  dassent  to  be  glad  on  Eva. 
So  I  want  even,  I  dassent.  My  mamma  has 
the  same  mad,  und  my  papa.  My  mamma 
she  says  like  this:  So  my  papa  gets  sooner 
glad  on  my  uncle  she  wouldn't  to  be  wifes 
mit  him  no  more!  Such  is  the  mad  she 
has!" 

"Why?" 

"Well.  Mine  uncle  he  come  out  of 
Russia.  From  long  he  come  when  I  was  a 
little  bit  of  baby.  Und  he  didn't  to  have  no 
money  for  buy  a  house.  So  my  papa — he's 
awful  kind — he  gives  him  thousen  dollers  so 
he  could  to  buy.  Und  say,  Teacher,  what 
you  think  ?  he  don't  pays  it  back.  It  aint 
[24] 


A   LITTLE  MATTER   OF   REAL   ESTATE 

polite  you  takes  thousen  dollers  und  don't 
pays  it  back." 

vSadie's  air,  as  she  submitted  this  rule  of 
social  etiquette  to  Teacher's  wider  knowl 
edge,  was  a  wondrous  thing  to  see — so  defer 
ential  was  it  and  yet  so  assured.^) 

"  So  my  papa  he  writes  a  letter  on  my  un 
cle  how  he  could  to  pay  that  thousen  dollers. 
Goes  months.  Comes  no  thousen  dollers. 
So  my  papa  he  goes  on  the  lawyer  und  the 
lawyer  he  writes  on  my  uncle  a  letter  how  he 
should  to  pay.  Goes  months.  Comes  no 
thousen  dollers."  At  each  repetition  of 
these  fateful  words  Sadie  shook  her  serious 
head,  pursed  up  her  rosy  mouth,  folded  her 
hands  resignedly,  and  sighed  deeply.  Clear 
ly  this  was  a  tale  more  than  twice  told,  for 
the  voice  and  manner  of  Sadie  were  as  the 
voice  and  manner  of  Mrs.  Lazarus  Gono- 
[25] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

rowsky,  and  the  recital  was  plagiarism  — 
masterly  and  complete. 

"And  then  ?"  prompted  Teacher,  lest  the 
conversation  languish. 

"  Well,  my  papa  writes  some  more  a  letter 
on  mine  uncle.  Oh-o-oh,  a  awful  bossy-und- 
mad  letter.  All  the  mad  words  what  my 
papa  knows  he  writes  on  mine  uncle.  Und 
toy  mamma  she  sets  by  my  papa's  side  und 
all  the  mad  words  what  my  mamma  knows 
she  tells  on  my  papa  und  he  writes  them,  too, 
on  mine  uncle.  Mine  uncle  (that's  Eva's 
papa)  could  to  have  a  fierce  mad  sooner 
he  seen  that  bossy  letter.  But  goes  two 
days.  Comes  no  thousen  dollers." 
\Here  ensued  a  long  and  dramatic  pause. 

''  Well,  comes  no  thousen  dollers.     Comes 
nothings.     On'y  by  night  my  mamma  she 
puts  me  on  my  bed;  when  comes  my  uncle! 
[26] 


A  LITTLE  MATTER   OF   REAL  ESTATE 

He  comes  und  makes  a  knopping  on  our 
door.  I  couldn't  to  tell  even  how  he  makes 
knopping.  I  had  such  a  scare  I  was  green 
on  the  f  ace,(und  my  heart  was  going  so  you 
could  to  hear.  I'm  a  nervous  child,  Missis 
Bailey,  und  my  face  is  all  times  green  sooner 
I  gets  a  scare." 

This  last  observation  was  a  triumph  of 
mimicry,  and  recalled  Mrs.  Gonorowsky  so 
vividly  as  to  make  her  atmosphere  of  garlic 
and  old  furniture  quite  perceptible. 

"So  my  mamma  hears  how  my  uncle 
knopps  und  says  'Lemme  in  —  lemme  in.' 
She  says  ('scuse  me,  Teacher)  —  she  says 
'he  must  be'  ('scuse  me)  'drunk.'  That's 
how  my  mamma  says. 

"So  goes  my  papa  by  the  door  und  says 
*  Who  stands  ? '  Und  my  uncle  he  says 
'  Lemme  in.'  So-o-oh  my  papa  he  opens  the 
[27] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

door.  Stands  my  uncle  mit  cheeky  looks 
und  he  showed  a  fist  on  my  papa.  My  papa 
has  a  fierce  mad  sooner  he  seen  that  fist  - 
fists  is  awful  cheeky  when  somebody  ain't 
paid.  So  my  papa  he  say^  ('scuse  me)(- 
it's  fierce  how  he  says,  on'y  he  had  a  mad 
over  that  fist.  He  says  ('scuse  me)  \' Go  to 
hell!'  und  my  uncle,  what  ain't  paid  that 
thousen  dollers,  he  says  just  like  that  to  my 
papa.  He  says  too  ('scuse  me,  Teacher), 
*  Go  to  hell ! '  So-o-oh  then  my  papa  hits  my 
uncle  (that's  Eva's  papa),  und  how  my  papa 
is  strong  I  couldn't  to  tell  even.  He  pulls 
every  morning  by  the  extrasizer,  und  he's  got 
such  a  muscles !  So  he  hits  my  uncle  (that's 
Eva's  papa),  und  my  uncle  he  fall  und  he 
fall  und  he  fall  —  we  live  by  the  third  floor, 
und  he  fall  off  of  the  third  floor  by  the  street 
—  und  even  in  falling  he  says  like  that 
[28] 


A  LITTLE  MATTER  OF  REAL  ESTATE 

('scuse  me,  Teacher), '  Go  to  hell!  go  to  hell! 
go  to  hell !'  Ain't  it  somethin'  fierce  how  he 
says  ?  On  all  the  steps  he  says,  *  Go  to  hell ! 
go  to  hell!  go  to  hell!'" 

Miss  Bailey  had  listened  to  authoritative 
lectures  upon  "The  Place  and  Influence  of 
the  Teacher  in  Community  Life,"  and  was 
debating  as  to  whether  she  had  better  inflict 
her  visit  of  remonstrance  upon  Mr.  Lazarus 
Gonorowsky,  of  the  powerful  and  cultivated 
muscle,  or  upon  Mr.  Nathan  Gonorowsky, 
of  the  deplorable  manners,  when  this  oppor 
tunity  to  bring  the  higher  standards  of  living 
into  the  home  was  taken  from  her.  The 
house  of  Gonorowsky,  in  jagged  fragments, 
was  tested  as  by  fire  and  came  forth  united. 

Eva  was  absent  one  morning,  and  Sadie 
presented  the  explanation  in  a  rather  dirty 
envelope: 

[29] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

Dear  Miss : 

Excuse  pliss  that  Eva  Gonarofsky 
comes  not  on  the  school.     We  was  moving 
und  she  couldn't  to  find  her  clothes. 
Yurs  Resptphs, 
Her  elders, 

Nathan  Gonorowsky, 
Becky  Ganurwoski. 

"  Is  Eva  going  far  away  ?  "  asked  Teacher. 
"  Will  she  come  to  this  school  any  more  ?" 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma' an,  sure  she  comes; 
she  lives  now  by  my  house.  My  uncle  he 
lives  by  my  house,  too.  Und  my  aunt." 

"And  you're  not  angry  with  your  cousin 
any  more?" 

"Teacher,  no  ma' an;  I'm  loving  mit  her. 
She's  got  on  now  all  mine  best  clothes  the 
while  her  mamma  buys  her  new.  My  aunt 
buys  new  clothes,  too.  Und  my  uncle." 

Sadie  reported  this  shopping  epidemic  so 
[30] 


A  LITTLE  MATTER  OF  REAL  ESTATE 

cheerily  that  Teacher  asked  with  mild  sur 
prise: 

"  Where  are  all  their  old  things  ?" 

"Teacher,  they're  burned.  Und  my  un 
cle's  stole  und  his  all  of  goods,  und  his  house 
und  his  three  sewing  machines.  All,  all 
burned!" 

"Oh,  dear  me!"  said  Teacher.  "Your 
poor  uncle!  Now  he  can  never  pay  that 
thousand  dollars." 

Sadie  regarded  Teacher  with  puzzled  eyes. 

"Sure  he  pays.  He's  now  'most  as  rich 
like  Van'pilt.  I  guess  he's  got  a  hundred 
dollers.  He  pays  all  right,  all  right,  und  my 
papa  had  a  party  over  him :  he  had  such  a 
awful  glad!" 

"Glad  on  your  uncle?"  cried  Teacher, 
startled  into  colloquialisms. 

"Yiss  ma'an.  Und  my  mamma  has  a 
[31] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

glad  on  Eva's  mamma,  und  my  gran'ma  has 
a  glad  on  both  of  papas  und  both  of  mammas, 
und  my  gran'pa  has  a  glad  just  like  my 
gran'ma.  All,  all  glad! " 

As  Teacher  walked  towards  Grand  Street 
that  afternoon,  she  met  a  radiant  little 
girl  with  a  small  and  most  unsteady  boy  in 
tow.  She  recognized  Eva  and  surmised  the 
cousin  whose  coldness  had  hurt  her  even 
unto  tears. 

"Well,  Eva,  and  what  little  boy  is  this?" 
she  asked. 

And  the  beaming  and  transformed  Eva 
answered : 

"  It's  my  little  cousin.     He's  lovin'  mit  me 

now.     Sadie,  too,  is  lovin'.    I  take  him  out 

the  while  it's  healthy    he   walks,    on'y   he 

ain't  so  big  und  he  falls.     Say,  Teacher,  it's 

[32] 


A  LITTLE  MATTER  OF  REAL  ESTATE 

nice  when  he  falls.  I  holds  him  in  my 
hands." 

And  fall  he  did.  Eva  picked  him  up, 
greatly  to  their  mutual  delight,  and  ex 
plained  : 

"He's  heavy,  und  my  this  here  arm  ain't 
yet  so  healthy,  but  I  hold  him  in  my  hands 
the  while  he's  cousins  mit  me,  und  over 
cousins  I'm  got  all  times  that  kind  feelin'." 


[S3] 


THE    USES    OF   ADVERSITY 

"I  guess  I  don't  need  I  should  go  on  the 
school,"  announced  Algernon  Yonowsky. 

"  I  guess  you  do,"  said  his  sister. 

"I  giiess  I  don't  need  I  should  go  on  the 
school,  neither,"  remarked  Percival. 

"You  got  to  go,"  Leah  informed  her  mu 
tinous  brothers.  "I  got  a  permit  for  you 
from  off  the  Principal;  he's  friends  mit  me 
the  while  I  goes  on  that  school  when  I  was 
little.  You  got  to  go  on  the  school,  und  you 
got  to  stay  on  the  school.  It's  awful  nice 
how  you  learn  things  there." 

But  the  prospect  did  not  appeal  to  the  Yo 
nowsky  twins.  It  seemed  to  forbode  re- 
[35] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

straint  and,  during  their  six  tempestuous 
years,  they  had  followed  their  own  stubborn 
ways  and  had  accepted  neither  advice  nor 
rebuke  from  any  man.  The  evening  of  the 
day  which  had  seen  their  birth  had  left  Leah 
motherless,  and  her  father  broken  of  heart 
and  of  ambition.  Since  then  Mr.  Yonow- 
sky  had  grown  daily  more  silent  and 
morose,  and  Leah  had  been  less  and  less 
able  to  cope  with  "them  devil  boys." 

A  room  high  up  in  a  swarming  tenement 
had  been  the  grave  of  her  youth  and  pleas 
ure.  She  was  as  solitary  there  as  she  could 
have  been  in  a  desert,  for  the  neighbours  who 
had  known  and  assisted  her  in  the  first  years 
of  her  bereavement  had  died  or  moved  to 
that  Mecca  of  the  New  World,  Harlem.  And 
their  successors  were  not  kindly  disposed 
towards  a  family  comprising  a  silent  man,  a 
[36] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

half-grown  girl,  and  two  twin  demons  who 
made  the  block  a  terror  to  the  nervous  and 
the  stairs  a  menace  to  the  unwary.  No  one 
came  to  gossip  with  Leah.  She  was  too 
young  to  listen  understandingly  to  older 
women's  adventures  in  sickness  or  domestic 
infelicity,  and  too  dispirited  to  make  any 
show  of  interest  in  the  toilettes  or  "  affaires" 
of  the  younger.  For  what  were  incompe 
tent  doctors,  habit-backed  dresses,  wavering 
husbands,  or  impetuous  lovers  to  Leah  Yo- 
nowsky,  who  had  assumed  all  the  responsi 
bilities  of  a  woman's  life  with  none  of  its 
consolations  ? 

Of  course  she  had,  to  some  extent,  failed 
in  the  upbringing  of  her  brothers,  but  she 
had  always  looked  forward  hopefully  to  the 
time  when  they  should  be  old  enough  to  be 
sent  to  school.  There  they  should  learn, 
[37] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

among  much  other  lore,  to  live  up  to  the 
names  she  had  selected  for  them  out  of  the 
book  of  love  and  of  adventure  which  she  had 
been  reading  at  the  time  of  their  baptism. 
During  all  the  years  of  her  enslavement  she 
had  been  a  patron  of  the  nearest  public  li 
brary,  and  it  had  been  a  source  of  great  dis 
appointment  to  her  that  Algernon  and 
Percival  had  made  no  least  attempt  to  ac 
quire  the  grace  of  speech  and  manner  which 
she  had  learned  to  associate  with  those  lord 
ly  titles. 

And  now  they  were  refusing  even  to  ap 
proach  the  Pierian  Spring !  "I  guess  I  don't 
go,"  Algernon  was  persisting.  "I  guess  I 
plays  on  the  street." 

"Me,  too,"  added  Percival.  "Patrick 
Brennan  he  goes  on  that  school  und  he 
gives  me  over  yesterday,  a  bloody  nose.  I 
[38] 


THE   USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

don'  need  I  should  go  on  no  school  mit  some 
body  what  makes  like  that  mit  me." 

But  with  the  assistance  of  the  neighbours, 
the  policeman  on  the  beat  and  the  truant 
officer,  they  were  finally  dragged  to  the 
halls  of  learning  and  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  Miss  Bailey,  who  installed  them 
in  widely  separated  seats  and  seemed 
blandly  unimpressed  by  their  evident 
determination  to  make  things  unpleasant 
in  Room  18.  She  met  Leah's  anticipatory 
apologies  with : 

"  Of  course  they'll  be  good.  v  I  shall  see 
that  they  behave.  Yes,  I  shall  see,  too,  that 
Patrick  Brennan  does  not  fight  with  Perci- 
val.  You  musn't  worry  about  them  any 
more,  but  I  fear  they  have  made  worrying  a 
habit  with  you.  If  you  will  send  them  to 
school  at  a  quarter  to  nine  every  morning, 
[39] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

and  at  ten  minutes  to  one  in  the  afternoon, 
I  shall  do  the  rest." 

And  Leah  went  out  into  the  sunshine 
free,  for  the  first  time  in  six  years.  Free  to 
wander  through  the  streets,  to  do  a  little  des 
ultory  shopping,  to  go  down  to  the  river  and 
to  watch  the  workmen  driving  rivets  in  the 
great  new  bridge.  Never  had  she  spent  so 
pleasant  a  morning,  and  her  heart  was  full  of 
gratitude  and  peace  when  she  reflected  that 
hours  such  as  these  would  henceforth  be 
the  order  of  the  day. 

The  advantages  of  a  free  education  did 
not  appeal  to  "them  Yonowsky  devils." 
Leah  was  forced  to  drag  her  reluctant 
charges  twice  a  day  to  the  school-house 
door  —  sometimes  even  up  the  stairs  to 
Room  18  —  and  the  reports  with  which  Miss 
Bailey  met  her  were  not  enthusiastic.  Still, 
[40] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

Teacher  admitted,  too  much  was  not  to  be 
expected  from  little  boys  coming  in  contact, 
for  the  first  time,  with  authority. 

"Only  send  them  regularly,"  she  pleaded, 
"and  perhaps  they  will  learn  to  be  happy 
here."  And  Leah,  in  spite  of  countless  ob 
stacles  and  difficulties,  sent  them. 

They  were  unusually  mutinous  one  mor 
ning,  and  their  dressing  had  been  one  long 
torment  to  Leah.  They  persisted  in  unty 
ing  strings  and  unbuttoning  buttons.  They 
shrieked,  they  lay  upon  the  floor  and  kicked,  ^ 
they  spilled  coffee  upon  their  "jumpers," 
and  systematically  and  deliberately  reduced 
their  sister  to  the  verge  of  distraction  and 
of  tears.  They  were  already  late  when  she 
dragged  them  to  the  corner  of  the  school, 
and  there  they  made  their  last  stand  by  sit 
ting  stolidly  down  upon  the  pavement. 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Leah  could  not  cope  with  their  two  rigid 
little  bodies,  and,  through  welling  tears  of 
weariness  and  exasperation,  she  looked 
blankly  up  and  down  the  dingy  street  for 
succour.  If  only  her  ally,  Mr.  Brennan,  the 
policeman  on  the  beat,  would  come!  But 
Mr.  Brennan  was  guarding  a  Grand  Street 
crossing  until  such  time  as  the  last  strag 
gling  child  should  have  safely  passed  the 
dangers  of  the  horse-cars,  and  nothing  came 
in  answer  to  Leah's  prayer  but  a  push-cart 
laden  with  figs  and  dates  and  propelled  by  a 
tall  man,  long-coated  and  fur-capped.  His 
first  glance  read  the  tableau,  and  in  an  in 
stant  he  grasped  Percival,  shook  him  into 
animation,  threw  him  through  the  big 
door,  and  turned  to  reason  with  Alger 
non.  But  that  rebel  had  already  seen  the 
error  of  his  ways  and  was  meekly  ascending 


THE  USES  OF  ADVERSITY 
the  steps  and  waving  a  resigned  adieu  to  his 
sister.  The  heavy  door  clanged.  Leah 
raised  grateful  eyes  to  her  knight,  and  the 
thing  was  done.  For  the  rest  of  that  day 
Aaron  Kastrinsky  sold  dates  and  figs  at  a 
reckless  discount  and  dreamed  of  the  fair 
oval  of  a  girl's  face  framed  in  a  shawl  no 
more  scarlet  than  her  lips,  while  Leah's 
heart  sang  of  a  youth  in  a  fur  cap  and  a  long 
coat  who  had  been  able  to  "boss  them  aw 
ful  boys." 

Daily  thereafter  did  Aaron  Kastrinsky  es 
tablish  his  gay  green  push-cart  outside  the 
school  door  set  apart  for  the  very  little  boys 
and  drive  a  half  hour's  bustling  trade  ere  the 
children  were  all  housed.  And  daily  two 
naughty  small  boys  were  convoyed  to  the 
door  by  a  red-shawled,  dark-eyed  sister. 
Very  slowly  greetings  grew  from  shy  glance 
[43] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

to  shy  smile,  from  swift  drooping  of  the 
lashes  to  swift  rise  of  colour,  from  gentle 
sweep  of  eyes  to  sustained  regard,  from  for 
mal  good-morning  to  protracted  chats.  But 
before  this  happy  stage  was  reached  the 
twins  decided  that  they  no  longer  required 
safe  conduct  to  the  fountain  of  knowledge, 
and  that  Leah's  attendance  covered  them 
with  ridicule  in  the  eyes  of  more  inde 
pendent  spirits.  But  she  refused  to  relax 
her  vigilance,  nay,  rather  she  increased  it; 
for  she  began  to  force  her  mutinous  brothers 
to  the  synagogue  on  Sabbath  mornings. 
The  twins  soon  came  to  associate  the  vision 
of  Aaron  Kastrinsky  with  the  idea  of  re 
straint  and  of  stern  virtue,  for  on  the  way  to 
the  synagogue  he  walked  by  Leah's  side 
—  looking  strangely  incomplete  without  his 
green  push-cart  —  and  drove  them  by  the 
[44] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

sheer  force  of  his  will  to  walk  decorously  in 
front.  Decorously,  too,  he  marched  them 
back  again,  and  stood  idly  talking  to  Leah 
at  the  steps  of  her  tenement  while  the  twins 
escaped  to  their  enjoyments. 

When  waiting  milk-cans  were  thrown  into 
cellars,  when  the  wheels  of  momentarily  de 
serted  wagons  were  loosened,  when  push 
carts  disappeared,  when  children  bent  on 
shopping  were  waylaid  and  robbed,  when 
cats  were  tortured,  horses'  manes  clipped, 
windows  broken,  shop-keepers  enraged,  ba 
bies  frightened,  and  pit-falls  set  upon  the 
stairs,  the  cry  was  always,  "Them  Yonow- 
sky  devils."  Leah  could  do  nothing  with 
them.  Mr.  Yonowsky  made  no  effort  to 
control  them,  and  Aaron  Kastrinsky  was 
not  always  there.  Not  half,  not  a  quarter 
as  often,  as  he  wished,  for  Leah  promptly 
[45] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

turned  away  from  all  his  attempts  to  make 
her  understand  how  greatly  she  would  gain 
in  peace  and  comfort  if  she  would  but  marry 
him.  They  would  move  to  a  larger  flat  and 
he  would  manage  the  boys.  But  Leah's 
view  of  life  and  marriage  was  tinged  with  no 
glory  of  romance.  She  had  no  illusions,  no 
ignorances,  and  she  was  afraid,  she  told  her 
suitor,  afraid. 

"But  of  what  ?"  asked  the  puzzled  Aaron. 
"Thou  canst  not  be  afraid  of  me.  Thou 
knowest  how  dear  thou  art  to  me.  What 
canst  thou  fear?" 

"I'm  afraid  of  being  married,"  was  her 
ultimatum.  She  confessed  that  she  loved 
no  one  else  —  she  had  never,  poor  child, 
known  anyone  else  to  love  ;  she  admitted 
the  allurements  of  the  larger  flat  and  the 
strong  hand  always  ready  for  the  twins,  was 
[46] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

delighted  to  go  with  him  to  lectures  at  the 
Educational  Alliance  when  her  father  could 
be  aroused  to  responsible  charge  of  the  twins, 
rejoiced  when  he  prospered  in  the  world  and 
exchanged  the  push-cart  for  a  permanent 
fruit-stand  —  she  even  assisted  at  its  deco 
ration  —  but  to  marry  him  she  was  afraid. 
Yes,  she  liked  him ;  yes,  she  would  walk  with 
him  —  and  the  twins  —  along  Grand  Street 
in  the  early  evening.  Yes,  she  would  wear 
her  red  dress  since  he  admired  it;  but  to 
marry  him  —  ah,  no !  Please,  no !  she  was 
afraid  of  being  married. 

Aaron  was  by  birth  and  in  his  own  coun 
try  one  of  the  learned  class,  and  he  promptly 
set  about  supplementing  Leah's  neglected 
education.  She  had  lived  so  solitary  a  life 
that  her  Russian  remained  pure  and  soft  and 
was  quite  distinct  from  the  mixture  of  Yid- 
[47] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

dish,  German,  English,  and  slang  which  her 
neighbours  spoke.  English,  which  she  read 
easily,  she  spoke  rarely  and  haltingly,  and 
Jewish  in  a  prettily  pedantic  manner,  learned 
from  her  mother,  whose  father  had  been 
a  Rabbi.  Aaron  lent  her  books  in  these 
three  languages,  which  straightway  carried 
her  into  strange  and  glorious  worlds.  Oc 
casionally  the  twins  stole  and  sold  the  books, 
but  their  enlightenment  remained.  To  sup 
plement  the  reading  he  took  her  to  lectures 
and  to  night  schools,  and  thus  one  evening 
they  listened  to  an  illustrated  "talk"  on 
"Contagion  and  Its  Causes."  There  had 
been  an  epidemic  of  smallpox  in  the  quar 
ter  and  Panic  was  abroad.  Parents  who 
spoke  no  English  fought  wildly  with  ambu 
lance  surgeons  who  spoke  no  Jewish,  and 
refused  to  entrust  the  sufferers  to  the  care  of 
[48] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

the  Board  of  Health.  Many  disturbances 
resulted  and  the  authorities  arranged  that,  in 
all  the  missions,  night  schools,  and  settle 
ments  of  the  East  Side,  reassuring  lecturers 
should  spread  abroad  the  folly  of  resistance, 
the  joys  of  hospital  Me,  the  surety  of  recov 
ery  in  the  arms  of  the  board,  with  a  few  re 
marks  upon  the  sources  of  contagion. 

Leah  and  Aaron  listened  to  one  of  the 
most  calming  of  these  orators.  The  lecturer 
spoke  with  such  feeling  —  and  such  stereop- 
ticon  slides  —  that  smallpox,  scarlet  fever, 
measles,  and  diphtheria  seemed  the  "open 
sesame"  to  bliss  unutterable,  and  the  source 
of  these  talismans  rather  to  be  sought  for 
diligently  than  shunned.  "Didst  hear?" 
Leah  asked  Aaron  as  they  went  home. 
"For  a  redness  on  the  skin  one  may  stay  in 
bed  for  a  week  and  rest." 
[49] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Ay,  but  one  is  sick,"  said  Aaron  sagely. 

"Not  if  one  goes  where  the  gentleman 
said.  One  lies  in  bed  for  a  week  —  three 
weeks  —  and  there  be  ladies  who  wait  on 
one,  and  one  rests  —  all  days  one  rests. 
And  there  be  no  twins.  Think  of  it,  Aaron! 
rest  and  no  twins!" 

A  few  days  later  she  climbed  home  after  a 
morning's  shopping  to  find  Algernon,  heavy 
of  eye  and  red  of  face,  crouched  near  the 
locked  door  with  a  whimper  in  his  voice  and 
a  card  in  his  hand. 

"I'm  got  something"  he  announced,  with 
the  pride  of  the  invalid. 

"Where  didst  get  it?"  asked  Leah,  auto 
matically  ;  she  was  accustomed  to  brazen  ad 
mission  of  guilt. 

"Off  of  a  boy  at  school." 

"Thou  wilt  steal  once  too  often,"  his  sis- 
[50] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

ter  admonished  him.  "  Go  now,  confess  to 
Miss  Bailey,  and  return  what  thou  hast 
taken." 

"The  boy  has  it  too,"  retorted  Algernon. 
"It's  a  sickness  —  a  taking  sickness;  und 
comes  a  man  und  gives  me  a  card  und  says  I 
should  come  by  my  house;  I'm  sick." 

Leah  gazed  on  the  card  in  despairing  envy. 
She  had  hopefully  searched  her  person  for 
rash  or  redness,  thinking  thereby  to  achieve 
a  ticket  to  that  promised  land  where  beauti 
ful  ladies  —  as  the  stereopticon  had  shown 
—  sat  graciously  waving  fans  beside  a 
smooth,  white  bed  whereon  one  lay  and 
rested:  only  rested:  quiet  day  after  quiet 
day.  There  had  been  no  twins  in  her  imag 
inings,  yet  here  was  Algernon  already  set 
upon  the  way;  Algernon,  who  would  be 
naughty  in  that  blissful  place,  and  who  might 
[51] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

even  "talk  sassy"  to  the  beautiful  ladies. 
Slow  tears  of  disappointment  grew  under 
Leah's  heavy  lids  and  splashed  upon  the 
coveted  ticket.  And  the  doctor  from  the 
Board  of  Health,  come  to  verify  the  more 
superficial  examination  of  his  colleague, 
misguidedly  launched  forth  upon  a  resume 
of  the  reassuring  lectures. 

"You  mustn't  cry,"  he  remonstrated. 
"  It's  only  measles  and  he  won't  be  very  sick. 
Why,  you  might  keep  him  here,  and  I  could 
send  you  a  nurse  to  show  you  how  to  take 
care  of  him  if  it  weren't  for  that  butcher  shop 
on  the  ground  floor.  But  he'll  be  all  right. 
Don't  cry." 

In  a  short  space  the  house  of  Yonowsky 
was  bereft  of  its  more  noisy  son,  and  peace 
reigned.  Percival  went  lonely  and  early  to 
bed.  Leah  sat  late  on  the  steps  with  Aaron, 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

and,  on  the  next  morning,  Percival  dupli 
cated  the  redness,  the  diagnosis,  and  the  de 
parture  of  his  brother,  and  Leah  came  into 
her  own. 

Then  were  the  days  wondrous  long. 
There  was  time  for  all  the  pleasures  from 
which  she  had  been  so  long  debarred  Time 
to  read,  time  to  sew,  time  to  pay  and  to  re 
ceive  shy,  short  morning  calls,  time  to  scrub 
and  polish  until  her  room  shone,  time  for 
experiments  in  cookery,  time  to  stretch 
her  father's  wages  to  undreamed-of  lengths, 
even  time  so  to  cheer  and  wheedle  Mr.  Yo- 
nowsky  that  she  dared  to  ask  his  permission 
to  bring  Aaron  up  to  her  spotless  domain- 
And  Aaron,  with  a  thumping  of  the  heartj 
not  due  entirely  to  the  height  and  steepness 
of  the  stairs,  came  formally  to  call  upon  his 
young  divinity.  The  visit  was  a  great  sue- 
[58  3 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

cess.  Mr.  Yonowsky  blossomed  under  the 
sun  of  Aaron's  deference  and  learning  into 
an  expansiveness  which  amazed  his  daugh 
ter,  and  the  men  discussed  the  law,  the 
scriptures,  the  election,  the  Czar,  nihilism, 
socialism,  the  tariff,  and  the  theatre.  But 
here  Mr.  Yonowsky  lapsed  into  gloom.  He 
had  not  visited  a  theatre  for  seven  years  — 
not  since  his  wife's  death. 

"And  Miss  Leah  ?"  Aaron  questioned. 

"Never,  oh,  never!"  she  breathed  resign 
edly,  yet  so  longingly  that  Aaron  then  and 
there  arranged  that  he  and  she  and  Mr.  Yo 
nowsky  should  visit  the  Thalia  Theatre  on 
the  following  night.  And  Leah,  with  the 
glad  and  new  assurance  that  the  boys  were 
safe,  fell  into  happy  devisings  of  a  suitable 
array.  When  young  Kastrinsky  left  after 
formal  and  prescribed  adieus  to  his  hostess, 
[54] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

he  dragged  his  host  out  to  listen  to  a  cam 
paign  speech. 

During  the  weeks  that  followed,  even  Mr. 
Yonowsky  came  to  see  the  sweet  uses  of  the 
Board  of  Health  and  to  ponder  long  and 
deeply  upon  the  nature  of  the  "taking  sick 
ness."  No  longer  forced  to  do  perpetual, 
though  ineffective,  sentinel  duty,  he  gradu 
ally  resumed  his  place  in  the  world  of  men 
and  spent  placid  evenings  at  the  synagogue, 
the  Educational  Alliance,  the  theatre,  and 
the  East  Side  Democratic  Union.  Leah 
bore  him  company  at  the  theatre  when  she 
might,  and  Aaron  followed  Leah  until  pa 
rental  pride  swelled  high  under  Mr.  Yonow 
sky 's  green  Prince  Albert  coat.  For  well  he 
saw  the  looks  of  admiration  which  were 
turned  upon  his  daughter  as  she  sat  by  his 
side  and  consumed  cold  pink  lemonade. 
[55] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

He  received  two  of  the  roundabout  propo 
sals  which  etiquette  demands,  and  began  to 
gather  a  dowry  for  Leah  and  to  recall  extra 
ordinary  outstanding  securities  to  that  end. 
But,  before  these  things  were  accomplished, 
his  sons  and  his  troubles  returned  upon  him. 
With  renewed  energy,  stimulated  imagina 
tion,  and  enriched  profanity,  "them  Yonow- 
sky  devils"  came  home,  and  their  reign  of 
mischief  set  in  afresh. 

They  had  always  been  unruly;  they  were 
utterly  unmanageable  now.  Daily  was  Leah 
summoned  to  the  big  red  school-house  by 
the  long-suffering  Miss  Bailey,  and  nightly 
was  Mr.  Yonowsky  forced  to  cancel  engage 
ments  at  club  or  synagogue  and  to  stay  at 
home  to  "explanation  them  boys"  to  out 
raged  neighbours. 

Aaron  could  still  control  them,  but  he  was 
[56] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

never  brought  upstairs  now.  How  could 
Leah  expect  him  to  enjoy  conversations 
carried  on  amid  the  yells  of  Algernon  and 
Percival  in  freedom,  or  their  shrieks  in 
durance  ? 

The  twins  came  home  one  noontime  full 
of  gossip  and  excitement.  They  clamoured 
over  their  cabbage  soup  that  a  classmate  of 
theirs,  one  Isidore  Belchatosky,  had  "  a  sick 
ness  —  a  taking  sickness,  what  he  took  from 
off  his  sister  Sadie." 

"Is  it  a  bad  sickness  ?"  asked  the  father. 

"Somethin'  fierce!"  Percival  assured  him. 
"  Pimples  stands  on  his  face,  und  he  says  he's 
got  'em  everywheres,  but  I  guess  maybe  he 
lies.  He  says  it's  a  chicken  sickness  what 
he  has.  Mit  pimples  everywheres ! " 

"You  don't  know  no  names  from  sick 
nesses,"  Algernon  broke  in  contemptu- 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

ously.  "It  ain't  the  chicken  sickness.  It's 
the  chicken  puffs." 

"  Where  is  his  house  ?"  asked  Leah  eager 
ly.  And  she  joyously  despatched  the  twins 
with  kind  inquiries  and  proffers  to  sit  with 
the  sufferer;  for  had  not  the  prophesying 
gentleman  explained  that  there  was  no  surer 
way  of  attaining  to  hospital  tickets  than 
by  speech  and  contact  with  one  who  had 
already  "arrived"?  And  Algernon  and 
Percival,  spurred  on  by  the  allurement  of  the 
"pimples  everywheres,"  pressed  past  all 
barriers  and  outposts  until  they  feasted  their 
eyes  upon  the  neatly  spotted  Izzie,  who 
proudly  proved  his  boast  of  the  "every 
wheres"  and  the  exceeding  puffiness  of  the 
chicken  puffs. 

Two  weeks  later  the  little  emissaries  of 
love  were  in  sorry  case.  The  "pimples  every- 
[58] 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

wheres"  appeared,  the  ambulance  reap 
peared,  the  twins  disappeared.  The  clean 
ing  and  polishing  were  resumed,  Aaron  in 
vited  to  supper,  Mr.  Yonowsky  pledged  to 
deliver  a  lecture  on  "The  Southern  Negro 
and  the  Ballot,"  and  a  stew  of  the  strongest 
elements  set  to  simmer  on  the  stove. 

Leah  had  learned  the  path  to  freedom  and 
trod  it  with  a  light  heart.  Algernon  and 
Percival  enjoyed  a  long  succession  of  dis 
eases,  contagious  and  infectious,  and  each 
attack  meant  a  holiday  of  varying  but  al 
ways  of  considerable  length.  Under  ordi 
nary  conditions  Leah  might  have  been  forced 
to  nurse  her  brothers  through  their  less  seri 
ous  disorders,  but  there  was  a  butcher  shop 
on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Yonowsky  tene 
ment,  and  the  by-laws  of  the  Board  of 
Health  decreed  that,  such  being  the  case, 
[59] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

the  children  should  be  removed  for  nearly  all 
the  ills  to  which  young  and  ill-nourished 
flesh  is  heir. 

"Them  Yonowsky  devils"  became  only 
visitors  to  their  native  block,  but  since  they 
returned  after  each  retirement  more  unruly 
and  outrageous,  they  were  not  deeply 
mourned.  Only  the  butcher  objected,  be 
cause  his  store  was  occasionally  quaran 
tined  when  Leah  had  achieved  some  very 
virulent  excuse  for  summoning  the  ambu 
lance  and  shipping  her  responsibilities.  Mr. 
Yonowsky  was  puzzled  but  grateful,  and 
Aaron  was  grateful  too. 

Month  after  month  went  by  and  the  twins 
had  exhausted  the  lists  of  the  lecturer  and 
had  enjoyed  several  other  ailments,  when 
Leah  and  her  father  went  to  bring  them 
home  from  their  typhoid-fever  holiday, 
[60? 


THE    USES    OF    ADVERSITY 

"You've  been  having  a  hard  time  with 
these  boys,"  the  man  at  the  desk  said  kindly. 
"The  worst  luck  I  ever  knew  in  the  many 
years  I've  been  here.  But  they're  all  right 
now.  They've  had  everything  on  the  list 
except  water  on  the  brain  and  elephantiasis, 
and  they  can't  get  them." 

"  But  some  what  they  had  they  could  some 
more  get,"  Leah  suggested  in  the  English 
she  so  rarely  used. 

"I  think  not,"  the  official  answered  cheer- 
ingly.  "They  hardly  ever  do.  No,  I  guess 
you'll  be  able  to  keep  them  at  home  now. 
Good  luck  to  you ! " 

But  it  was  bad  luck,  the  worst  of  luck. 
Mr.  Yonowsky's  public  spirit  died  within 
his  breast;  Leah's  coquetry  vanished  before 
a  future  unrelieved  by  visits  from  the  black 
and  friendly  ambulance,  and  when  Aaron 
[61] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

climbed  the  well-known  stairs  that  evening 
he  heard,  while  he  was  yet  two  floors  short 
of  his  destination,  the  shrieks  of  the  twins, 
the  smashing  of  crockery,  and  the  grum 
bling  of  the  neighbours.  Suddenly  a  little 
figure  darted  upon  him  and  Leah  was  in  his 
arms. 

"  Aaron,"  she  sobbed.  "  Oh,  Aaron,  mine 
heart  it  breaks.  There  ain't  no  more  ta 
king  sicknesses  in  all  the  world.  So  says 
the  gentleman." 

"My  golden  one,"  said  Aaron,  who  was  a 
bit  of  a  philosopher;  "all  good  things  come 
to  an  end  except  only  Love.  And  the  twins 
have  had  taking  sicknesses  in  great  and  un 
heard-of  numbers." 

"But  now  they  are  more  than  ever  bad. 
I  can  do  nothing  with  them  and  I  am  afraid 
of  them.     In  hospitals,  where  one  is  very 
[62] 


THE    USES    OF   ADVERSITY 

happy,  one  grows  very  big,  and  the  twins 
are  no  longer  little  boys." 

"If  you  marry  me — "  Aaron  began. 

"You  will  love  me  always  ?" 

"Yea,  mine  gold." 

"And  for  me  you  will  boss  them  twins  ?" 

"Yea,  verily,  for  thee  I  will  boss  the 
twins." 

And  the  betrothal  of  Leah  Yonowsky  to 
Aaron  Kastrinsky  was  signed  and  sealed 
immediately. 


[63 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT  FOR  A  LADY 

It  was  the  week  before  Christmas,  and  the 
First-Reader  Class  had,  almost  to  a  manj 
decided  on  the  gifts  to  be  lavished  oiij 
"Teacher."  She  was  quite  unprepared  for 
any  such  observance  on  the  part  of  her 
small  adherents,  for  her  first  study  of  the 
roll-boo^:  had  shown  her  that  its  numerous 
Jacobs,^  Isidores,  and  Raehefe  belonged  to  a 
class  to  which  Christmas  Day  was  much  as 
other  days.  And  so  she  went  serenely  on 


til 


nconscious  of  _t]j£<swift  and 
manner  and  her 


ay,  an  unc 
strict  relation 

chances«-~*"1§ne  was,  ToT^te^ance,  the  only 

person  in  the  room  who  did  not  "'know  that 

[65] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

^criticism  of  Isidore  Belchatosky's  hands 

^^^Vv,.^ 

and  face  cost  her  a  tall  "three  for  ten 
cents"  candlestick  and  a  plump  box  of 
candy,  j 

._  Bui  Morris  MogSewsky,  whose  love  for 
Teacher  was  far  greater  than  the  com 
bined  loves  of  all  the  other  children,  had  as 

_yet  no  present  to  bestowJ  That  his  "kind 
feeling"  should  be  without  proof  when  the 
lesser  loves  of  Isidore  Wishnewsky,  Sadie 
Gonorowsky,  aintekJSertha  Binderwitz  were 
taking  the  tangible  Ibut  surprising  forms 

which  were  daily  exhibited  tfrJiis  confiden- 

"     '  """""'"  ~    f 

ptial  gaze,  was  more  than  he  could  bear.!  The 

I  knowledge  saddened  all  his  hours  and  was 

/   the  more  maddening  because  it  could  in  no 

/    wise  be  shared  by  Teacher,  who  noticed  his 

/     altered  bearing  and  tried  with  all  sorts  of 

artful  beguilements  to  make  him  happy  and 

[66] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR    A   LADY 

at  ease.  But  her  efforts  served  only  to  in- J 
crease  his  unhappiness  and  his  love.  And 
he  loved  her !  Oh,  how  he  loved  her ! 
Since  first  his  dreading  eyes  had  clung  for  a 
breath's  space  to  her  "like  man's  shoes"  and 
had  then  crept  timidly  upward  past  a  black 
skirt,  a  "from  silk"  apron,  a  red  "jumper," 
and  "from  gold"  chain  to  her  "light  face," 
she  had  been  mistress  of  his  heart  of  hearts. 
That  was  more  than  three  months  ago.  And 
weil"  he  remembered  the  day ! 

His  mother  had  washed  him  horribly,  and 
had  taken  him  into  the  big,  red  school-house, 
so  familiar  from  the  outside,  but  so  full  of 
unknown  terrors  within.  After  his  dusty 
little  shoes  had  stumbled  over  the  threshold 
he  had  passed  from  ordeal  to  ordeal  until 
at  last  he  was  torn  in  mute  and  white-faced 
despair  from  his  mother's  skirts. 
[67] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

He  was  then  dragged  through  long  halls 
and  up  tall  stairs  by  a  large  boy,  who  spoke  to 
him  disdainfully  as  "  greenie/hmd  cautimred 
him  as  to ^rre  laying  down  softly  and  taking 
up  gently  of  those  poor  dusty  shoes,  so  that 
his  spirit  was  quite  broken  and  his  nerves 
were  all  unstrung  when  he  was  pushed  into 
a  room  full  of  bright  sunshine  and  of  children 
who  laughed  at  his  frightened  little  face. 
The  sunshine  smote  his  timid  eyes,  the 
laughter  smote  his  timid  heart,  and  he  turned 
to  flee.  But  the  door  was  shut,  the  large 
boy  gone,  and  despair  took  him  for  its  own. 

Down  upon  the  floor  he  dropped,  and 
wailed,  and  wept,  and  kicked.  It  was  then 
that  he  heard,  for  the  first  time  the  voice 
which  now  he  loved.  A-fetnth was  forced 
between  his  aching  body  and  the  floor,  and 
the  voice  said : 

[68] 


DISMISSED     WITH     THE     COMMON     HERD     AT     THREE     O'CLOCK 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

"Why,  my  dear  little  chap,  you  mustn't 
cry  like  that.     What's  the  matter  ?  " 


hand  was  gentle  and  the  question 
kind,  and  these,  combined  with  a  fainfjper- 
fume  suggesti  v£\of  drug  stores  aaia  barber 
shops  -  -  but  nicer  than  eithe/  —  made  him 
uncover  his  hot  little  f  ape".  \  Kneeling  beside 
him  was  a  lady,  apcT  he  forced  his  eyes  to 
that  perilous  assent;  from  shoeKto  skirt, 
from  skirt  to  jumper,  from  jumper  to  face, 
tbey  trailed  in  dread  uncertainty,  but 
at  th^  face  they  stopped.  They  had  found 


Morris  allowed  himself  to  be  gathered  in 
to  the  lady's  arms  and  held  upon  her  knee, 
and  when  his  sobs  no  longer  rent  the  very 
foundations  of  his  pink  and  wide-spread  tie, 
he  answered  her  question  in  a  voice  as  soft 
as  his  eyes,  and  as  gently  sad. 
[69] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

"  1  ain't  so  big,  und  I  don't  know  where  is 
my  mamma." 

So,  having  cast  his  troubles  on  the  shoul 
ders  of  the  lady,  he  had  added  his  throbbing 
head  to  the  burden,  and  from  that  safe  re 
treat  had  enjoyed  his  first  day  at  school  im 
mensely. 

Thereafter  he  had  been  the  first  to  arrive 
every  morning?  and  the  last  to  leave  every 
afternoon;  ?rid  under  the  care  of  Teacher, 
his4iege  lady,  he  had  grown  in  wisdom  and 
love  and  happinessl 
these  was  Idve.  JFAnd  now,  when  the  other 
boys  and  girls  wtere  planning  surprises  and 
gifts  of  price  for  Teacher,  his  hands  were 
as  empty  as  his  heart  was  fulL^  Appeal  to 
his  mother  met  with  denial  prompt  and 
energetic. 

"  For  what  you  go  und  make,  over  Christ* 
[70] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A  LAD\ 

mas,  presents^  You/  ain't  no  Krisht;  you 
should  better  havyCno  kind  feelings  over 
Krishts,  neither  ^yourV>apa  could  to  have  a 
nmd."  . 

Krisht, 


\ 
;). 


"fill  the  other  fellows  buys  her 
presents,  und  I'm  laving  mit  her  too;  it's 
polite  I  gives  her  presents  the  while  I'm  got 
such  a  kind  feeling  over  her." 

"Well,  we  ain't  got  no  money  for  buy 
nothings,"  said  Mrs.  Mogilewsky  sadly)  "No 
money,  und  your  papa,  he  has  all  times  a 
scare  he  shouldn't  to  get  no  more,  the  while 
the  boss  "  —  and  here  followed  incofnprehen- 
sible,  but  depressing,  financial  details,  until 
the  end  of  the  interview  found  Morris  arid  his 
mother  sobbing  and  rocking  in  one  another's 
arms.  So,  Morris  was  helpless,  his  mother 
poor,  and  Teacher  all  unknowing. 
[71] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

And  the  great  day,  the  Friday  before 
Christmas  came,  and  the  school  was,  for  the 
first  half  hour,  quite  mad.  Doors  opened 
suddenly  and  softly  to  admit  small  persons, 
clad  in  wondrous  ways  and  bearing  won- 
l\  (drous  parcels,  r'tloem  10, 


A 

*  and~-se-  peacef  nirTraTTaT  TiowITng  wilderness 


full  of  brightly  coloured,  quickly  elmngmg- 

groups  of  children,  all  whispering,  all  gur- 

, 
glingy  and  -alWiklitt^ 


comer  .  invariably  caused  a  diversion;  the 
assembled  multitude,  athirst  for  novelty, 
fell  upon  him  and  clamoured  for  a  glimpse 
of  his  bundle  and  a  statement  of  its  price. 

^Teacher  watched  in  dumb  amaze.  What 
could  be  the  matter  With  the  children,  she 
wondered.  They  could  not  have  guessed 
the  shrouded  something  in  the  corner  to  be 
a  Christmas-tree.  What  made  them  behave 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

so  ^ueerly,  and  why  did  they  look  so  strange  ? 
}  They^ seemed  to  have  grown  stout  in  a  single 
night,  and  Teacher,  as  she  noted  this,  mar 
velled  greatly)  The  explanation  was  simple, 
though  it  came  in  alarming  form.  The 
sounds  of  revelry\were  pierced  by  a  long, 
shrill  yell,  and  a  pair\pf  agitated  legs  sprang 
suddenly  into  view  t>etween  two  desks. 
Teacher,  rushing  to  the  rescue,  noted  that 
the  legs  formed  the  unsteady  stem  of  an  up 
turned  mushroom  of  brown  "flannel  and 
green  braid,  which  she  recognize^  as  the 
outward  seeming  of  her  cherished  Bertha 
Binderwitz;  and  yet,  when  the  desks\were 
forced  to  disgorge  their  prey,  the  legs  re 
stored  to  their  normal  position  were  found 
to  support  a  fat  child  —  and  Bertha  was 
best  described  as  "  skinny  " —  in  a  dress  of  the 
Stuart  tartan  tastefully  trimmed  with  pur- 
[73] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

pfe — layeatigatjon. ..proved  that  Bertha's 
accumulative  taste  in  dress  was  an  estab 
lished  custom.  In  nearly  all  cases  the  glory 
of  holiday  attire  was  hung  upon  the  solid 
foundation  of  every-day  clothes  as  bunting 
is  hung  upon  a  building.  The  habit  was 
economical  of  time,  and  produced  a  charm 
ing  embonpoint.  \^ 

Teacher,  too,   was  more  beautiful  than 
ever.     Her  dress  was  blue,  and  "very  long 

/  '   ''•>  i 

down,  like  a  lady,"  with  bands  of  silk  and 
scraps  of  lace  distributed  with  the  eye  of  art. 

In  her  hair  she  wore  a  bow  of  what  Sadie 

^r  ^ 

Gonorowsky,    whose    father    "worked    by 

fancy  goods,"   described    as   black   "froni 
plush  ribbon  —  costs  ten  cents." 
u^->  ft/Isidore  Belchatosky,;  ^dbeatmg^  was  the 

x.  --*" 

first   to   lay   tribute   before   Teacher.     He 

came  forward  with  a  sweet  smile  and  a  tall 

[74] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

candlestick  —(the  candy  had  gone  to4tslong 
Jioeae  -f-  and  Teacher,  for  a  moment,  could 
not  be  made  to  understand  that  all  that 
length  of  bluish- white  china  was  really  hers 
"for  keeps. 

It's  to-morrow  holiday, ' 


-her;' "and  we  gives  you  presents,  the  while  J 

we  have  a  kind  feeling.     Candlesticks  could  ' 

. 

to  cost  twenty-five  cents." 

"It's  a  lie.     Three  for  ten,"  said  a  voice 
in  the  background,  but  Teacher  hastened 
respond  to  Isidore'suest  of  her  credulity: 

"Indeed,   they  could.     This  candlesticl 
could  have  cost  fifty  cents,  and  it's  just  what 
f  *wttntr    It  is  very  good  of  you  to  bring  me 
present." 

"  Ypu're  welcome,"  said  Isidore,  retiring; 
^widjthen,  the  ice  being  broken,  the  First- 
Reader  Class  in  a  body  rose  to  cast  its  gifts 
[75] 


I 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

on  Teacher's   desk,   and   its   arms   around 
Teacher's  neck. 

Nathan  Horowitz  presented  a  small  -e«p 
and  saucer;  Isidore  Applebaum  bestowed  a 
large  calendar  for  the  year  before  last;  Sadie 
Gonorowsky  brought  a  basket  containing— 
a  bottle  of  perfume,  a  thimble,  and  a  bright 
silk  handkerchief;  Sarah  Schrodsky  offered 
a  pen- wiper  and  a  yellow  celluloid  ^011ar- 
button,jand  Eva  Kidansky  gave  an  elabo 
rate  nasal  douche,  under  the  pleasing  delu- 

g"S  -•         *  • 

sion  that  it  was  an  atomizer.     A  c 

^T&***'*~m~TTi^ 

Once  more  sounds  of  grief  reached  Tea 
cher's  ears..  Rushing  again  to  the  rescue, 
she  threw  open  the  doqr  and  came  upon  Woe 
personified.  Eva  Gonorowsky,  her  hair  in 
wildest  disarray,  her  stocking  fouled,  ungar- 
tered,  and  down-gyved  to  her  ankle,  ap 
peared  before  her  teacher.  She  bore  all  the 
[76] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

marks  of  Hamlet's  excitement,  and  many 
more,  including  a  tear-stained  little  face  and 
a  gilt  saucer  clasped  to  a  panting  breast. 

"Eva,  my  dearest  Eva,  what's  happened  to 
you  now?"  asked  Teacher,  for  the  list  of  ill- 
chances  which  had  befallen  this  one  of  her 
charges  was  very  long.  And  Eva's  wail  was 
that  a  boy,  a  very  big  boy,  had  stolen  her 
golden  cup  "what  I.  had  for  you  by  pres 
ent,"  and  had  left  her  only  the  saucer  and 
her  undying  love  to  bestow. 

Before  Eva's  sobs  had  quite  yielded  to 
Teacher's  artaA Jacob  Spitsky  pressed  for 
ward  with  a  tortoise-shell  comb  of  terrifying 
aspect  and  hungry  teeth,  and  an  air  showinj 
forth   a  determination   to   adjust   it  in   i\ 
destined  place.  /  Teacher  meekly  bowed  hej 
head ;  Jacob  forced  his  offering  into  her  long 
suffering  hair/  and  tKerT ^ 
[771 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

formation,  "Costs  fifteen  cents,  Teacher," 

/ 

and  the  courteous  phrase  —  by  etiquette 
prescribed  —  "Wish  you  health  to  wear 
it."  He  was  plainly  a  hero,  anji  was  heard, 
remarking  to  less  favoured  Admirers  that 
"Teacher's  hair  is  awful  sbfty,  and  smells 
off  of  perfumery."  // 

Here  a  big  boy,  a  v0ry  big  boy,  entered 
hastily.  He  did  not  Belong  to  Room  18,  but 
he  had  long  known  Teacher.  He  had 
brought  her  a  present;  he  wished  her  a  Mer 
ry  Christmas.  The  present,  when  produced, 
proved  to  be  a  pretty  gold  cup,  and  Eva 
Gonorowsky,  with  renewed  emotion,  recog 
nized  the  boy  as  her  assailant  and  the  cup  as 
her  property.  Teacher  was  dreadfully  em 
barrassed  ;  the  boy  not  at  all  so.  His  policy 
was  simple  and  entire  denial,  and  in  this  he 
persevered,  even  after  Eva's  saucer  had  un- 
[78] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

mistakably  proclaimed    its  relationship  to 
the  cup. 

^  -Meanwhile  {he  rush  of  presentation  went 
steadily  on.  C©tke*(eups  and  saucers  came 
in  wild  profusion.  The  desk  was  covered 
with  them,  and  their  wrappings  of  purple 
tissue  paper  required  a  monitor's  whole  at 
tention.  The  soap,  too,  became  urgently 
perceptible.  It  was  of  all  sizes,  shapes  and 
colours,  but  of  uniform  and  dreadful  power  of 
perfume.^  Teacher's  eyes  filled  with  tears  — 
of  gratitude'x-  as  each  new  piece  or  box  was 
pressed  againsf  her  nose,  and  Teacher's 
mind  was  full  of  wonder  as  to  what  she 
could  ever  do  with  all  of  it.  Bottles  of  per-  , 
fume  vied  with  one  another  and  with  the 
all- pervading  soap  until  the  air  was  heavy 
and  breathing  grew  labourious.  But  pride 
swelled  the  hearts  of  the  assembled  multi-  \ 

I"! 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

\  tude.    No  tyther  Tea  chef  had  so  many  helps 


No*e  other^was  so  beloved. 


Teacher's  aspect  was  quite  changed,  and 
the  "blue  long  down  like  a  lady  dress  "  was 
almost  hidden  by  the  offerings  she  had  re 
ceived.  Jacob's  comb  had  two  massive  and 
bejewelled  rivals  in  the  "softy  hair."  The 
front  of  the  dress,  where  aching  or  despond 
ent  heads  were  wont  to  rest,  glittered  with 
campaign  buttons  of  American  celebrities, 
beginning  with  James  G.  Blaine  and  extend 
ing  into  modern  history  as  far  as  Patrick 
Diwer,  Admiral  Dewey,  and  Captain  Drey 
fus.  Outside  the  blue  belt  was  a  white  one, 
nearly  clean,  and  bearing  in  "sure  'nough 
golden  words"  the  curt,  but  stirring,  invita 
tion,  "Remember  the  Maine."  Around  the 
neck  were  three  chaplets  of  beads,  wrought 
by  chubby  fingers  and  embodying  much 
[80] 


A    CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

love,    while     the     waist-line     was    further 
adorned   by  tiny   and  beribboned   aprons. 

T^ily,  it  was  a  day  of  triumph. 

•s~~ 

IWhen  the  waste-paper  basket  had  been 
twice  filled  with  wrappings  and  twice  emp 
tied  ;  when  order  was  emerging  out  of  chaos ; 
when  the  Christinas-tree  had  been  disclosed 
and  its  treasures  distributed,  a  timid  hand 
was  laid  on  Teacher's  knee  and  a  plaintive 
voice  whispered,  "  Say,  Teacher,  I  got  some 
thing  for  you;"  and  Teacher  turned  quickly 
to  see  Morris,  her  dearest  boy  charge|(with 
Iris  poor  little  body  showing  quite  plainly 
between  his >hirt- waist  buttons  and  through 
the  gashes  he  calledpockets.  This  was  his 
ordinary  costume,  and  the  funds  of  the  hause 
of  Mogilewsky  were  evidently  unequal  to  an 
outer  layer  of  finer;;. 

"NoW,  Morris  (!<v:r,"  s;n<I  Teacher,  "YOU 

T  \  » 

r 

I 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

shouldn't  have  troubled  to  get  me  a  present; 
you  know  you  and  I  are  such  good  friends 
that  —  " 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma'an/'^Moras  interrupt - 
J3(L_ in  a  .,b.e witching  and  rising  infleetiOTr~of 
l^s  soft  and  plaintive-voice.)  "I  know  you 
got  a  kind  feeling  by  me,  and  I  couldn't  to 
tell  even  how  I  got  a  kind  feeling  by  you. 
Only  it's  about  that  kind  feeling  I  should 
give  you  a  present.  I  didn't" -4  w^Ji^a 
glance  at  the  crowded  desk -^- "  I  didn't  to 
have  no  soap  nor  no  perfumery,  and  my 
mamma  she  couldn't  to  buy  none  by  the 
store;  but,  Teacher,  I'm  got  something  aw 
ful  nice  for  you  by  present." 

"And  what  is  it,  deary1?"  asked  the  al 
ready  rich  and  gifteo!  young  person.  "What 
is  my  new  present  ?" 

"Teacher,  it's  like  this:  I  don't  know;  I 
[82] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

ain't  so  big  like  I  could  to 


truly,  God  pity  him !  he  was  passing  small  — 
"it  ain't  for  boys  —  it's  for  ladies.  Over 
yesterday  on  the  night  comes  my  papa  to 
my  house,  und  he  gives  my  mamma  the 
present.  Sooner  she  looks  on  it,  sooner  she 
has  a  awful  glad;  in  her  eyes  stands  tears, 
und  she  says,  18wH*wt  —  out  of  Jewish  - 
'Thanks,'  un'  she  kisses  my  papa  a  kiss. 
Und  my  papa,  how  he  is  polite !  he  says  — 
out  of  Jewish-  too  —  'You're  welcome,  all 
right,'  un'  he  kisses  my  mamma  a  kiss.  So 
my  mamma,  she  sets  und  looks  on  the 
present,  und  all  the  time  she  looks  she  has 
a  glad  over  it.  Und  I  didn't  to  have  no 
soap,  so  you  could  to  have  the  present." 
"  But  did  your  mother  say  I  might  ?  " 
"Teacher,  no  ma'an;  she  didn't  say  like 
that,  und  she  didn't  to  say  not  like  that. 
[83] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

She  didn't  to  know.  But  it's  for  ladies,  un' 
I  didn't  to  have  no  soap.  You  could  to  look 
Wfefc,  It  ain't  for  boys." 

And  here  Morris  opened  a  hot  little  hand 
and  disclosed  a  tightly  folded  pinkish  paper. 
As  Teacher  read  it  he  watched  her  with 
eager,  furtive  eyes,  dry  and  bright,  until  hers 
grew  suddenly  moist,  when  his  promptly 
followed  suikg^As  she  looked  down  at  him, 
he  made  his  moan  once  more : 

"It's  for  ladies,  und  I  didn't  to  have  no 
soap." 

"But,  Morris,  dear,"  cried- Teacher  un 
steadily,  laughing  a  little,  and  yet  not  far 
from  tears,  "this  is  ever  so  much  nicer  than 
soap  —  a  "'thousand  times  better  than  per 
fume;  and  you're  quite  right,  it  is  for  ladies, 
and  I  never  had  one  in  all  my  life  before.  I 
am  so  very  thankful." 

[84] 


A   CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

"You're  welcome,  all  right.    ^Pfeet^-Wnfe 

proud 


ly—  Aad  proudly  h^  took  hk,  place  ..among 
the  very  little  boys,  and  loudijLjj^iuil^d  m 
the  ensuing  song.  For  the  rest  of  that  ex 
citing  day  he  was  a  shining  point  of  virtue  in 
the  rest  of  that  confused  class.  -Anra^^hree 
o'clock  he  was  at  Teacher's  desk  again, 
carrying  on  the  conversation  as  if  there  had 
been  no  interruption. 
"Und  my  mamma/'  he 


"she  kisses  my  papa  a  kiss." 

"Well?  "said  Teacher. 

"Well,"  said  Morris,  "you  ain't  never 
kissed  me  a  kiss,  und  I  seen  how  you  kissed 
Eva  Gonorowsky.  I'm  loving  mit  you  too. 
Why  don't  you  never  kiss  me  a  kiss  ?  " 

"Perhaps,"  s<uggestetl  Teacher  mischiev 
ously,;"  perhaps  it  ain't  for  boys." 
[85] 


LITTLE   CITJZENS 


herf'  light  face,"  with 
its    crown  of  surprising  combs,\  reassured 

^*""          '  .......  -*-*-—1»Hrt-|linnu_u:jj  uuu  i«l  «.  £—  °""""      ""*  "***  ••'-•  ^ 


"Teacher,  yiss  ma'  an;  it's  for  boys,"  he 
cried  as  he  felt  her  arms  about  him,  and 
saw  that  in  her  eyes,  too,  "stands  tears." 

"It's  polite  you  kisses  me  a  kiss  over  that 
for  ladies'  present. 

Late  that  night  Teacher  sat  in  her  pretty 
room  —  for  she-  was,  unofficially,  a  greaTly 

—  and  reviewed 


her  treasures.  She  saw  that  they  were  very 
numerous,  very  touching,  very  whimsical, 
and  very  precious.  But  above  all  the  rest 
she  cherished  a  frayed  and  pinkish  paper, 
rather  crumpled  and  a  little  soiled.  For  it 
held  the  love  of  a  man  and  a  woman  and  a 
little  child,  and  the  magic  of  a  home,  for 
Morris  Mogilfewsky's  Christmas  present  for 
'  r  86  1 


A  CHRISTMAS   PRESENT   FOR   A   LADY 

ladies  was  the  receipt  for  a  month's  rent  for 
a  room  on  the  top  floor  of  a  Monroe  Street 
tenement. 


/ 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

An   q^ganized  government  requires  a  cab 


inet,  and,  during  the  first  weeks  of  her  reign 
over  Room  18,  Miss  Bailey  set  about  pro 
viding  herself  with  aides  and  advisors.  She 
made,  naturally,  some  fatal  and  expensive 
mistakes,  as  when  she  entrusted  the  class  pen 
cils  to  the  care  of  one  of  the  Yonowsky  twins 
who,  promptly  falling  ill  of  scarlet  fever  and 
imparting  it  to  his  brother,  reduced  the  First  - 
Reader  Class  to  writing  with  coloured 
chalk. 

But  gradually  from  the  rank  and  file  of 
candidates,  from  the  well-meaning  but  clum 
sy;  from  the  competent  but  dishonest;  from 
[89] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

the  lazy  and  from  the  rash,  she  selected  three 
loyal  and  devoted  men  to  share  her  task  of 
ruling.  They  were  Morris  Mogilewsky, 
Prime  Minister  and  Monitor  of  the  Gold- 
Fish  Bowl;  Nathan  Spiderwitz,  Councillor 
of  the  Exchequer  and  Monitor  of  Window 
Boxes;  and  Patrick  Brennan,  Commander- 
in- Chief  of  the  Forces  and  Leader  of  the 
Line. 

The  members  of  this  cabinet,  finding 
themselves  raised  to  such  high  places  by  the 
pleasure  of  their  sovereign,  kept  watchful 
eyes  upon  her.  For  full  well  they  knew  that 
cruelest  of  all  the  laws  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  which  decrees:  "That  the 
marriage  of  a  female  teacher  shall  consti 
tute  resignation."  This  ruling  had  deprived 
them  of  a  Kindergarten  teacher  of  tran 
scendent  charm  and  had  made  them  as 
[90] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

watchful  of  Miss  Bailey  as  a  bevy  of  maiden 
aunts  could  have  been.  Losing  her  they 
would  lose  love  and  power,  and  love  and 
power  are  sweet. 

Morris  was  the  first  to  discover  definite 
grounds  for  uneasiness.  He  met  his  cher 
ished  Miss  Bailey  walking  across  Grand 
Street  on  a  rainy  morning,  and  the  umbrella 
which  was  protecting  her  beloved  head  was 
held  by  a  tall  stranger  in  a  long  and  baggy 
coat.  After  circling  incredulously  about 
this  tableau,  Morris  dashed  off  to  report  to 
his  colleagues.  He  found  Patrick  and  Na 
than  in  the  midst  of  an  exciting  game  of 
craps,  but  his  pattering  feet  warned  them  of 
danger,  so  they  pocketed  their  dice  and 
turned  to  hear  his  news. 

"Say,"  he  panted;  "I  seen  Teacher  mit 


a  man.'! 


[91] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"No!"  said  Patrick,  aghast. 

"It's  a  lie!"  cried  Nathan ;  "  it's  a  lie!" 

"No;  it's  no  lie,"  said  Morris,  with  a  sob 
half  of  breathlessness  and  half  of  sorrow; 
"  I  seen  her  for  sure.  Und  the  man  carries 
umbrellas  over  her  mit  loving  looks." 

"Ah,  g'wan,"  drawled  Patrick;  "you're 
crazy.  You  don't  know  what  you're  talking 
about." 

"Sure  do  I,"  cried  Morris.  "I  had  once 
a  auntie  what  was  loving  mit  a  awful  stylish 
salesman  --  he's  now  floorwalkers  —  und  I 
see  how  they  makes." 

"Well,"    said   Patrick,    "I   had   a   sister 
Mary  and  she  married  the  milkman,  so  I 
know,   too.     But   umbrellas   doesn't   mean 
'much." 

"But  the  loving  looks,"  Morris  insisted. 
"My  auntie  makes  such  looks  on  the  sales 
[92] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

man  —  he's  now  floorwalkers  —  und  sooner 
she  marries  mit  him." 

"Say,  Patrick,"  suggested  Nathan;  "I'll 
tell  you  what  to  do.  You  ask  her  if  she's 
goin'  to  get  married." 

"Naw,"  said  Patrick.  "Let  Morris  ask 
her.  She'd  tell  him  before  she'd  tell  any  of  us. 
She's  been  soft  on  him  ever  since  Christmas. 
Say,  Morris,  do  you  hear  ?  You've  got  to 
ask  Teacher  if  she's  going  to  get  married." 

"Oo-o-oh!  I  dassent.  It  ain't  polite  how 
you  says,"  cried  Morris  in  his  shocked  little 
voice.  "It  aiTit  polite  you  asks  like  that. 
It's  fierce." 

"Well,  you've  got  to  do  it,  anyway,"  said 
Patrick  darkly,  "and  you've  got  to  do  it 
soon,  and  you've  got  to  let  us  hear  you."  . 

"It's  fierce,"  protested  Morris,  but  he  was 
overruled  by  the  dominant  spirit  of  Patrick 
[93] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

Brennan,  that  grandson  of  the  kings  of  Mun 
ster  and  son  of  the  policeman  on  the  beat. 
His  opportunity  found  him  on  the  very  next 
morning.  Isidore  Wishnewsky,  the  gen 
tlest  of  gentle  children,  came  to  school  wear 
ing  his  accustomed  air  of  melancholy  shot 
across  with  a  tender  pride.  His  subdued 
"Good  morning"  was  accompanied  with 
much  strenuous  exertion  directed,  appar 
ently,  to  the  removal  and  exhibition  of  a 
portion  of  his  spine.  After  much  wriggling 
he  paused  long  enough  to  say: 

"Teacher,  what  you  think?  I'm  got  a 
present  for  you,"  and  then  recommenced 
his  search  in  another  layer  of  his  many  flan 
nels.  His  efforts  being  at  length  crowned 
with  success,  he  drew  forth  and  spread  be 
fore  Teacher's  admiring  eyes  a  Japanese 
paper  napkin. 

[94] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

"My  sister,"  he  explained.     "She  gets  it 
to  a  weddinge." 

"Oh,  Isidore,"  cried  the  flattered  Tea 
cher;  "it's  very  pretty,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  Teacher — yiss  ma' an,"  gurgled  Isidore 
"It's  stylish.  You  could  to  look  on  how 
stands  birds  on  it  and  flowers.  Mine  sis 
ter  she  gives  it  to  me  und  I  gives  it  to  you. 
I  don't  need  it.  She  gives  me  all  times 
something  the  while  she's  got  such  a  kind 
feelin'  over  me.  She  goes  all  times  on  wed- 
dinges.  Most  all  her  younge  lady  friends 
gettin'  married;  ain't  it  funny?" 

At  the  fateful  word  "  married,"  the  uneasy 
cabinet  closed  in  about  Teacher.  Their 
three  pairs  of  eyes  clung  to  her  face  as  Isi 
dore  repeated : 

"  All  gettin'  married.     Ain't  it  funny  ?  " 

"Well,  no,  dear,"  answered  Teacher  mu< 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

singly.  "  You  know  nearly  all  young  ladies 
do  it." 

Patrick  took  a  pin  from  Teacher's  desk 
and  kneeled  to  tie  his  shoe-string.  When 
he  rose  the  point  of  the  pin  projected  half  an 
inch  beyond  the  frayed  toe  of  his  shoe,  and 
he  was  armed.  Morris  was  most  evidently 
losing  courage  —  he  was  indeed  trying  to 
steal  away  when  Patrick  pressed  close  beside 
him  and  held  him  to  his  post. 

"Teacher,"  said  Isidore  suddenly,  as  a 
dreadful  thought  struck  him,  "  be  you  a  lady 
or  be  you  a  girl?" 

And  Teacher,  being  of  Hibernian  ances 
try,  answered  one  question  with  another: 

"  Which  do  you  think,  Isidore  ?" 

"Well,"  Isidore  answered,  "I  don't  know 
be  you  a  forsure  lady  or  be  you  a  forsure 
girl.  You  wears  your  hair  so  tucked  up 
[96] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

and  your  dress  so  long  down  like  you  was  a 
lady,  but  you  laffs  und  tells  us  stories  like 
you  was  a  girl.  I  don't  know." 

Clearly  this  was  Morris's  opening.  Pat 
rick  pierced  his  soul  with  a  glance  of  scorn 
and  simultaneously  buried  the  pin  in  his 
quaking  leg.  Thus  encouraged,  Morris 
rushed  blindly  into  the  conversation  with: 

"  Say,  Teacher,  Miss  Bailey,  be  you  goin* 
to  get  married?"  and  then  dropped  limply 
against  her  shoulder. 

The  question  was  not  quite  new  to  Tea 
cher  and,  as  she  bestowed  Morris  more  com 
fortably  on  her  knee,  she  pondered  once 
again.  She  knew  that,  for  the  present,  her 
lines  had  fallen  in  very  pleasant  places,  and 
she  felt  no  desire  to  change  to  pastures  new. 
And  yet  —  and  yet  — .  The  average  fe 
male  life  is  long,  and  a  Board,  however 
[97] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

thoughtful  as  to  salary  and  pension,  is  an 
impersonal  lord  and  master,  and  remote 
withal.  So  she  answered  quite  simply,  with 
her  cheek  against  the  boy's : 

"Well,  perhaps  so,  Morris.  Perhaps  I 
shall,  some  day." 

"Teacher,  no  ma' an,  Miss  Bailey!" 
wailed  the  Monitor  of  the  Gold-Fish. 
"  Don't  you  go  and  get  married  mit  nobody. 
So  you  do  you  couldn't  be  Teacher  by  us  no 
more,  and  you're  a  awful  nice  teacher  by  lit 
tle  boys.  You  ain't  too  big.  TJnd  say,  we'd 
feel  terrible  bad  the  while  you  goes  and  gets 
married  mit  somebody  —  terrible  bad." 

"Should  you  really,  now?"  asked  Tea 
cher,  greatly  pleased.  "Well,  dear,  I  too 
should  be  lonely  without  you." 

Here  Isidore  Wishnewsky,  who   consid 
ered  this  conversation  as  his  cherished  own, 
[98] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

and  saw  it  being  torn  from  him,  determined 
to  outdo  the  favoured  Morris  as  a  squire  of 
dames. 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma' an,"  he  broke  in. 
"  We'd  all  feel  terrible  the  while  we  ain't  got 
you  by  teacher.  All  the  boys  und  all  the 
girls  they  says  like  this  —  it's  the  word  in 
the  yard  —  we  ain't  never  had  a  teacher 
smells  so  nice  like  you." 

While  Teacher  was  in  the  lenient  mood, 
resulting  from  this  astounding  tribute,  Na 
than  forged  yet  another  chain  for  her  se 
curing. 

"Teacher,"  said  he,  "you  wouldn't  never 
go  and  get  married  mit  nobody  'out  saying 
nothing  to  somebody,  would  you  ?" 

"Indeed,  no,  my  dear,"  Miss  Bailey  as 
sured  him.  "When  I  marry,  you  and  Pat 
rick  and  Morris  shall  be  ushers  —  monitors, 
[99] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

you  know.  Now  are  you  happy,  you  funny 
little  chaps?" 

"  Teacher,  yiss  ma' an,"  Morris  sighed, 
as  the  bell  rang  sharply,  and  the  aloof  and 
formal  exercise  of  the  assembly  room  began. 

Some  days  later  Teacher  arranged  to  go  to 
a  reception,  and  as  she  did  not  care  to  re 
turn  to  her  home  between  work  and  play, 
she  appeared  at  school  in  rather  festive  ar 
ray.  Room  18  was  delighted  with  its  trans 
formed  ruler,  but  to  the  board  of  monitors 
this  glory  of  raiment  brought  nothing  but 
misery.  Every  twist  in  the  neat  coiffure, 
every  fold  of  the  pretty  dress,  every  rustle  of 
the  invisible  silk,  every  click  of  the  high 
heels,  meant  the  coming  abdication  of 
Teacher  and  the  disbanding  of  her  cabinet. 
Just  so  had  Patrick's  sister  Mary  looked  on 
the  day  she  wed  the  milkman.  Just  such 
[100] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

had  been  the  outward  aspect  of  Morris's 
auntie  on  the  day  of  her  union  to  the  prom 
ising  young  salesman  who  was  now  a  floor 
walker  and  Morris's  Uncle  Ikey. 

Momentarily  they  expected  some  word  of 
farewell  —  perhaps  even  an  ice-cream  par 
ty  —  but  Teacher  made  no  sign.  They  de 
cided  that  she  was  reserving  her  last  words 
for  their  private  ear  and  were  greatly  discon 
certed  to  find  themselves  turned  out  with  the 
common  herd  at  three  o'clock.  With  heavy 
hearts  they  followed  the  example  of  Mary's 
little  lamb  and  waited  patiently  about  till 
Teacher  did  appear.  When  she  came  she 
was  more  wonderful  than  ever,  in  a  long  and 
billowy  boa  and  a  wide  and  billowy  hat. 
She  had  seemed  in  a  breathless  hurry  while 
up  in  Room  18,  but  now  she  stood  quite 
placidly  in  a  group  of  her  small  adherents  on 

noi] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

the  highest  of  the  school-house  steps.  And 
the  cabinet,  waiting  gloomily  apart,  only 
muttered,  "I  told  ye  so,"  and  "It  must  be  a 
awful  kind  feeling,"  when  the  tall  stranger 
came  swinging  upon  the  scene.  When  Tea 
cher's  eyes  fell  upon  him  she  began  to  force 
her  way  through  her  clinging  court,  and 
when  he  was  half  way  up  the  steps  she  was 
half  way  down.  As  they  met  he  drew  from 
his  pocket  a  hand  and  the  violets  it  held  and 
Teacher  was  still  adjusting  the  flowers  in 
her  jacket  when  she  passed  her  lurking  staff. 

"  I  didn't  expect  you  at  all,"  she  was  say 
ing.  'You  know  it  was  not  a  really  definite 
arrangement,  and  men  hate  receptions." 

A  big  voice  replied  in  a  phrase  which  Mor 
ris  identified  as  having  been  prominent  in 
the  repertoire  of  the  enamoured  salesman  - 
now  a  floorwalker  —  and  Teacher  with  her 
[102] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

companion  turned  to  cross  the  street.  Her 
heels  clicked  for  yet  a  moment  and  the  de 
serted  cabinet  knew  that  all  was  over. 

The  gloom  obscuring  Patrick's  spirit  on 
that  evening  was  of  so  deep  a  dye  that  Mrs. 
Brennan  diagnosed  it  as  the  first  stage  of  "  a 
consumption."  She  administered  simple 
remedies  and  warm  baths  with  persever 
ance,  but  without  effect.  And  more  potent 
to  cure  than  bath  or  bottle  was  the  sight  of 
Teacher  on  the  next  morning  in  her  accus 
tomed  clothes  and  place. 

The  Board  of  Monitors  had  hardly  re 
covered  from  this  panic  when  another  alarm 
ing  symptom  appeared.  Miss  Bailey  began 
to  watch  for  letters,  and  large  envelopes  be 
gan  to  reward  her  watchfulness.  Daily  was 
Patrick  sent  to  the  powers  that  were  to  de 
mand  a  letter,  and  daily  he  carried  one,  and 
[103] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

a  sorely  heavy  heart,  back  to  his  sovereign. 
In  exactly  the  same  sweetly  insistent  way 
had  he  been  sent  many  a  time  and  oft  to 
seek  tidings  of  the  laggard  milkman.  His 
colleagues,  when  he  laid  these  facts  before 
them,  were  of  the  opinion  that  things  looked 
very  dark  for  Teacher.  Said  Nathan : 

"You  know  how  she  says  we  should  be 
monitors  on  her  weddinge  ?  Well,  it  could 
to  be  lies.  She  marries  maybe  already." 

Patrick  promptly  knocked  the  Monitor  of 
Window  Boxes  down  upon  the  rough  as 
phalt  of  the  yard  and  kicked  him. 

"Miss  Bailey's  no  sneak,"  he  cried  hotly. 
"  If  she  was  married  she'd  just  as  lief  go  and 
tell." 

"Well,"  Morris  began,  "I  had  once  a 
auntie  — " 

"Your  auntie  makes  me  sick,"  snapped 
[104] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

Patrick.  But  Morris  went  on  quite  undis 
turbedly  : 

"I  had  once  a  auntie  und  she  had  awful 
kind  feelings  over  a  stylish  floorwalker,  und 
he  was  loving  mit  her.  So-o-oh!  They 
marries!  Und  they  don't  say  nothings  to 
nobody.  On'y  the  stylish  floor  walker  he 
writes  on  my  auntie  whole  bunches  of  lovin' 
letters." 

"She  ain't  married,"  Patrick  reiterated. 
"She  ain't." 

"Well,  she  will  be,"  muttered  Nathan 
vindictively.  "Und  the  new  teacher  will 
lick  you  the  while  you  fights.  It's  fierce 
how  you  make  me  biles  on  my  bones.  Think 
shame." 

When  the  ruffled  Monitor  of  the  Window 
Boxes  had  been  soothed  by  the  peaceful 
Guardian  of  the  Gold-Fish,  the  cabinet  held 
[105] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

council.  Nathan  suggested  that  it  might 
be  possible  to  bribe  the  interloper.  They 
would  give  him  their  combined  wealth  and 
urge  him  to  turn  his  eyes  upon  Miss  Blake, 
whose  room  was  across  the  hall.  She  was 
very  big  and  would  do  excellently  well  for 
him,  whereas  she  was  entirely  too  long  and 
too  wide  for  them. 

Morris  maintained  that  Teacher  might 
be  held  by  gratitude.  A  list  should  be  made 
out,  and,  each  in  turn,  a  child  a  day,  should 
give  her  a  present. 

Patrick  listened  to  these  ideas  in  deep  and 
restive  disgust.  He  urged  instant  and  co 
pious  bloodshed.  His  big  brother's  gang 
could  "let  daylight  into  the  dude"  with  en 
joyment  and  despatch.  They  would  watch 
him  ceaselessly  and  they  would  track  him 
down. 

[1063 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

The  watching  was  an  easy  matter,  for 
Teacher,  in  common  with  the  majority  of 
rulers,  lived  much  in  the  public  eye.  The 
stranger  was  often  detected  prowling  in  her 
vicinity.  He  even  began  to  bring  her  to 
school  in  the  mornings,  and  on  these  occa 
sions  there  were  always  violets  in  her  coat. 
He  used  to  appear  at  luncheon  time  and  van 
ish  with  her.  He  used  to  come  in  the  after 
noon  and  have  tea  in  Room  18  with  two 
other  teachers  and  with  Teacher.  The  an 
tagonism  of  the  Monitor  of  Gold  Fish  be 
came  so  marked  that  Miss  Bailey  was  forced 
to  remonstrate. 

"Morris,  dear,"  she  began  one  afternoon, 
when  they  were  alone  together,  "you  were 
very  rude  to  Doctor  Ingraham  yesterday.  I 
can't  allow  you  to  stay  here  with  me  if  you're 
going  to  behave  so  badly.  You  sulked  hor- 
[107] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

ribly  and  you  slammed  the  door  against  his 
foot.  Of  course  it  was  an  accident,  but  how 
would  you  feel,  Morris,  if  you  had  hurt 
him?" 

"Glad,"  said  the  Monitor  of  the  Gold- 
Fish  savagely.  "Glad." 

"Morris!  What  do  you  mean  by  saying 
such  a  thing  ?  I'm  ashamed  of  you.  Why 
should  you  want  to  hurt  a  friend  of  mine  ?" 

"Don't  you  be  friends  mit  him!"  cried 
Morris,  deserting  his  fish  and  throwing 
himself  upon  his  teacher.  "Don't  you  do 
it,  Teacher  Missis  Bailey.  He  ain't  no 
friends  for  a  lady."  And  then,  in  answer 
to  Teacher's  stare  of  blank  surprise,  he 
went  on : 

"My  mamma  she  seen  him  by  your  side 
und  she  says  —  I  got  to  tell  you  in  whisper 
ing  how  she  says." 

[108] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

Teacher  bent  her  head  and  Morris  whis 
pered  in  an  awe-struck  voice : 

"My  mamma  says  she  like  that:  'He 
could  to  be  a  Krisht,'"  and  then  drew  back 
to  study  Teacher's  consternation.  But  she 
seemed  quite  calm.  Perhaps  she  had  al 
ready  faced  the  devastating  fact,  for  she 
said: 

"Yes,  I  know  he's  a  Christian.  I'm  not 
afraid  of  them.  Are  you  ?  " 

"Teacher,  no  ma'an,  Missis  Bailey,  I 
ain't  got  no  scare  over  Krishts,  on'y  they 
ain't  no  friends  for  ladies.  My  papa  says 
like  that  on  my  auntie,  und  my  auntie  she's 
married  now  mit  a  stylish  floorwalker. 
We'm  got  a  Krisht  in  our  house  for  boarder, 
so  I  know.  But  you  couldn't  to  know  'bout 
Krishts." 

"Yes,  I  do.     They're  very  nice  people." 
[109] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"No  ma'an,"  said  Morris  gently.  And 
then  still  more  courteously :  "  It's  a  lie.  You 
couldn't  to  know  about  Krishts." 

"But  I  do  know  all  about  them,  Morris 
dear.  I'm  a  Christian." 

Again  Morris  remembered  his  manners. 
Again  he  replied  in  his  courtly  phrase : 

"It's  a  lie."  As  he  said  it,  with  a  be 
witching  rising  inflection,  it  was  almost  a 
caress.  "It's  a  lie.  Teacher  fools.  You 
couldn't  to  be  no  Krisht.  You  ain't  got  no 
looks  off  of  Krishts." 

Teacher  was  mildly  surprised.  She  was 
as  Irish  as  Patrick  Brennan  and,  in  her  own 
way,  she  looked  it.  Truly  her  eyes  were 
brown,  but  the  face  and  the  faith  of  her 
fathers  were  still  strongly  hers.  Morris, 
meanwhile,  examined  his  sovereign  with  ad 
miring  eyes.  He  could  well  understand  the 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

heart  of  that  Krisht,  for  Teacher  was  very 
beautiful  and  of  splendid  array.  Her  jum 
per  was  red,  with  golden  buttons,  and  her 
collar  was  white,  and  her  hair  was  soft,  with 
combs.  And  she  had  a  light  face  and  a  lit 
tle  bit  of  nose  and  teeth.  Her  apron  was 
from  silk  with  red  ribbons  and  red  flowers, 
and  she  had  like  man's-shoes  and  a  watch. 
This  vision  of  feminine  perfection  was  be 
stowing  time  and  smiles  on  him.  She  was 
.  actually  appealing  to  his  judgment. 

"Not  look  like  a  Christian?"  she  was 
saying.  "Well,  then,  Morris,  what  do  I 
look  like?" 

And  Morris,  ever  going  straight  to  the 
point,  replied:  "You  looks  like  a  stylish 
Sheeny,"  and  waited  for  this  intoxicating 
praise  to  bring  blushes  to  the  light  face  he 
loved.  It  brought  the  blushes,  but  they 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

were  even  redder  and  hotter  than  he  had 
expected.  There  was  also  a  gasp  on  which 
he  had  not  counted  and  a  queer  flash  in  the 
brown  eyes. 

"Morris,"  said  Teacher,  "Morris,  did 
you  ever  see  a  Sheeny  with  a  nose  like 
mine?" 

Morris  raised  his  head  from  the  red  jum 
per,  climbed  off  the  f  rom-silk  apron  and  sol 
emnly  contemplated  the  little  bit  of  nose. 
The  truth  broke  over  him  in  sickening- 
waves.  The  star  of  his  life  had  set;  his  doll 
was  stuffed  with  sawdust;  his  idol  had  feet 
of  clay;  his  light-faced  lady  was  a  Christian. 
And  yet  she  was  his  teacher  and  greatly  to 
be  loved,  so  he  bore  the  knowledge,  for  her 
dear  sake,  as  bravely  as  he  could.  He  re 
turned  to  the  f  rom-silk  apron,  wound  a  short 
arm  round  the  white  collar,  and  sobbed- 
[112] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma' an,  you'm  got  a 
Krisht  nose.  But  don't  you  care,  no  one 
couldn't  never  to  know  like  you  ain't  a  for- 
sure  Sheeny  the  while  you  got  such  terrible 
Sheeny  eyes.  Oh,  but  they  couldn't  never 
to  think  you're  a  Krisht.  Und  say,  don't 
you  have  a  frightened.  I  wouldn't  never  to 
tell  nobody.  Never.  I  makes  a  swear 
over  it.  I  kiss  up  to  God.  I  hopes  I  drops 
down  if  I  tells." 

At  the  end  of  a  month  the  high  heels  and 
the  festive  raiment  appeared  again,  and  the 
staff  knew  that  the  time  for  action  had  real 
ly  come.  They  must  bring  the  Krisht  to 
terms  before  he  should  see  Teacher  in  her 
present  and  irresistible  array.  He  was  al 
ways  first  at  the  trysting  place,  and  there 
they  would  have  speech  with  him.  They 
arranged  to  escape  from  Room  18  before 
[113] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

three  o'clock.  The  Commander-in-Chief 
feigned  a  nose-bleed,  the  Prime  Minister 
developed  an  inward  agony,  and  the  Chan 
cellor  of  the  Exchequer,  after  some  mo 
ments  of  indecision,  boldly  plucked  out  a 
tottering  tooth  and  followed  —  bloody  but 
triumphant  —  in  their  wake.  They  found 
the  enemy  just  as  they  had  expected,  and 
Morris,  being  again  elected  spokesman, 
stepped  forward  and  took  him  by  his  das 
tard  hand.  The  adversary  yielded,  think 
ing  that  Teacher  had  been  forced  to  greater 
caution.  The  Commander-in-Chief  and  the 
Chancellor  followed  close  behind,  they  hav 
ing  consented,  in  view  of  the  enormous 
issues  involved,  to  act  as  scouts.  Around 
the  corner  they  went  into  a  dark  and  narrow 
alley,  and,  when  they  had  reached  a  secluded 
spot  between  the  high  wall  of  the  school  and 
[114] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

the  blank  windows  of  a  recently  burned  ten 
ement  house,  Morris  began : 

"Teacher  don't  wants  to  go  on  the  party 
mit  you  the  while  she  ain't  got  no  more  that 
kind  feeling  over  you." 

"What?"  cried  the  astonished  Doctor 
Ingraham. 

"She  don't  wants  to  be  married  mit  you." 

"  Did  Miss  Bailey  send  you  with  any  mes 
sage  to  me?" 

The  question  was  so  fierce  that  the  truth 
was  forced  from  the  unwilling  lips  of  the 
spokesman. 

"No  ma' an  —  no  sir,"  they  faltered. 
"  On'y  that's  the  feeling  what  she  had.  Und 
so  you  go  away  now  'out  seeing  Teacher, 
me  und  the  other  fellows  we  gives  you 
FIVE  cents." 

The  cabinet  drew  near  to  hear  the  an- 


LITTLE   CITIZEN  S 

swer  to  this  suggestion.     It  puzzled  them, 
for  — 

"Now,  look  here,  boy,"  said  Doctor  In- 
graham,  "you'd  better  go  home  and  get  to 
bed.  You  aren't  well." 

Morris  conferred  with  his  colleagues  and 
returned  with : 

"We  gives  you  SEVEN  cents  so  you  go 
home  now  'out  seeing  Teacher.  A  nickel 
und  two  pennies  so  you  go  now.  Und  say, 
Miss  Blake  could  to  go  by  your  side.  She 
has  kind  feelings  over  you." 

"Nonsense,"  said  the  man.  "When  will 
your  teacher  be  down  ?  " 

"She  ain't  coming  at  all.  She  has  no 
more  feelings.  So  you  goes  now  we  gives 
you  a  dime  and  a  penny.  ELEVEN  cents. 
We  ain't  got  it;  on'y  we  could  to  get. 
Teacher  gives  me  all  times  pennies." 
[116] 


LOVEAMONGTHE  BLACKBOARDS 

Just  as  the  stranger  was  wondering  how 
much  of  truth  these  extraordinary  children 
knew,  Teacher,  calm-eyed  and  unruffled, 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  She  said,  as  she 
generally  did : 

"Doctor  Ingraham!  Who  would  have 
thought  to  find  you  here!"  And  then, 
"Are  you  talking  to  my  little  people ?  They 
are  the  cleverest  little  things,  and  such 
friends  of  mine.  Morris  here  and  I  are  the 
greatest  of  cronies." 

Teacher's  manner,  as  she  began  her 
greeting,  was  serene  and  bright,  but  a 
gloomy,  even  a  morose,  glance  from  Doctor 
Ingraham's  cold  blue  eye  quite  changed  her. 
His  voice  too,  considered  as  the  voice  of  love, 
sounded  sulkily  as  he  said : 

"So  it  seems.     He  has  given  me  an  an 
swer  which  you  refused  me." 
[117] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"How  generous  of  Morris  and  how 
thoughtful!  He's  always  trying  to  save  me 
trouble.  And  the  question,  now,  to  which 
the  answer  belonged.  May  one  know 
that?" 

"You  know  it  well  enough,"  with  a  glance 
up  and  down  the  deserted  alley,  for  even 
Patrick  had  realized  that  discretion  is  the 
better  part  of  statesmanship. 

"Oh  that,"  said  Teacher.  "And  Mor 
ris's  answer?" 

"No." 

"They  really  are  the  cleverest  children." 

"Little  brutes!  I  can't  think  why  you 
come  down  here  every  day.  The  brats 
aren't  in  the  least  grateful." 

"But  they  are.  They  think  me  perfec 
tion." 

"That  is  the  contagion  of  mental  states.5' 
[118] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

"And  they're  not  fond  of  you." 

"That's  it  again,  I  suppose."  And,  as 
Teacher  made  no  sign  of  having  heard, 
he  went  on :  "  Tea,  do  you  know,  is  a  dread 
ful  bore." 

"Of  course,  but  cold  tea  is  worse.  And 
the  cakes  are  so  shattered  towards  the  end. 
Come." 

"I've  changed  my  mind.  I'm  not  going. 
I'm  tired  of  this  sort  of  thing.  Answer  me 


now." 


"But  the  children,"  faltered  Teacher. 
"I  should  miss  them  so." 

At  this  sign  of  weakening  Doctor  Ingra- 
ham  favoured  the  queer  old  street  with  a  tab 
leau  to  which  it  long  had  been  a  stranger. 
And  the  cabinet,  creeping  back  to  recon 
noitre,  immediately  guessed  the  worst.  Said 
Morris: 

[119] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  She's  lovin'  mit  him  und  he's  loving  mit 
her.  They've  got  loving  looks.  I  had  once 
a  auntie  — " 

This  was  too  much  for  the  torn  spirit  of 
the  Leader  of  the  Line.  He  laid  violent 
hands  —  and  feet  —  upon  the  Monitor  of 
Gold  Fish.  The  Monitor  of  Window  Boxes 
promptly  followed  suit.  Morris's  pro 
longed  yell  of  agonized  surprise  brought 
Teacher  flying  to  the  rescue.  And  Teacher 
brought  Doctor  Ingraham.  While  the  latter 
held  and  restrained  Patrick  and  Nathan, 
Miss  Bailey  lavished  endearments  and  ca 
resses  on  her  favourite.  The  captor  grew  as 
restless  as  his  captives  under  this  aggrava 
tion,  and  at  last  allowed  his  charges  to 
escape. 

"Look  here!"  he  remonstrated;  "I  can't 
stand  this  sort  of  thing,  you  know.  It's  cruel. '? 
[120] 


LOVE    AMONG    THE    BLACKBOARDS 

But  Teacher's  ears  were  all  for  Morris's 
tale  of  sorrow. 

"I  don't  know  what  is  mit  Patrick,"  he 
was  saying.  "He  hits  me  a  hack  somethin' 
fierce  sooner  I  says  about  mine  auntie.  Und 
Nathan,  too,  is  bad  boys.  He  says  you  lies." 

"I?"saidTeacher;"I?" 

"  Yiss  ma'an,  that's  how  he  says.  On'y  I 
know  you  don't  lies.  I  know  we  should  be 
monitors  like  you  says." 

"When,  dearie?" 

"On  your  weddinge.  You  know  you 
says  me,  und  Patrick,  und  Nathan,  should 
be  monitors  on  your  weddinge  when  you 
marries  mit  him."  And  Morris  stretched  a 
pointing  finger  at  the  foe.  After  one  radi 
ant  glance  at  Teacher's  face,  Doctor  Ingra- 
ham  possessed  himself  of  the  scrubby  hand 
and  shook  it  warmly. 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"And  so  you  shall,  old  chap,"  he  cried, 
"  so  you  shall.  You  may  be  best  man  if  you 
so  desire.  Any  thing  you  like." 

"New  clothes  ?"  asked  Morris. 

"From  stem  to  stern." 

"Ice-cream?" 

"Gallons." 

"Paper  napkins  mit  birds  ?" 

"Bushels." 

"  Can  I  mine  little  sister  bring  ?" 

"A  dozen  little  sisters  if  you  have  them." 

"Can  I  go  in  a  carriage,  down  and  up? 
It's  stylish." 

"  You  shall  have  a  parade  of  carriages  — 
one  for  each  sister." 

"Morris,"  commanded  Miss  Bailey,  "go 
home." 

When  she  turned  to  confront  Doctor  In- 
graham  the  "light  face"  was  brightly  pink 


LOVE     AMONG     THE     BLACKBOARDS 

and  the  "terrible  Sheeny  eyes"  held  a  mix 
ture  of  embarrassment  and  anger. 

"Of  course  I  can't  explain  this,"  she 
said.  "I  must  simply  ask  you  to  believe 
that  he  is  making  a  dreadful  mistake. 
You  were  quite  right  when  you  said  they 
were  ungrateful  little  brutes.  They  are. 
You  were  quite  right,  too,  about  teas  be 
ing  a  bore.  They  are.  So  you  will  par 
don  me  if  I  go  to  see  little  Leah  Yonowsky. 
The  twins  are  reported  ill  again.  Good 
afternoon." 

It  was  a  very  rueful  and  disgusted  enemy 
that  the  cabinet  discerned  in  the  offing. 

"Good  Lord!"  cried  the  Commander-in- 
Chief.  "Here  he  comes  again,  and  Miss 
Bailey  ain't  with  him." 

"Morris,"  said  the  enemy,  "you've  done 
forme,  my  boy." 

[  123  ] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

"Won't  she  go  by  your  side  on  the  par 
ty?"  asked  the  Prime  Minister. 

"She  will  not,"  admitted  the  hostile 
power.  "So  you  may  as  well  trot  out  Miss 
Blake  and  begin  to  collect  my  eleven  cents. 
For,  though  you  may  not  have  discovered 
it  —  and  there  be  those  who  doubt  it — a  ten- 
cigar's  a  smoke." 


[134] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE   TIM 

On  the  first  day  of  school,  after  the  Christmas 
holidays,  Teacher  found  herself  surrounded 
by  a  howling  mob  of  little  savages  in  which 
she  had  much  difficulty  in  recognizing  her 
cherished  First-Reader  Class.  Isidore  Bel- 
chatosky's  face  was  so  wreathed  in  smiles 
and  foreign  matter  as  to  be  beyond  identifica 
tion;  Nathan  Spiderwitz  had  placed  all  his 
trust  in  a  solitary  suspender  and  two  unstable 
buttons;  Eva  Kidansky  had  entirely  freed 
herself  from  restraining  hooks  and  eyes; 
Isidore  Applebaum  had  discarded  shoe-laces ; 
and  Abie  Ashnewsky  had  bartered  his  only 
necktie  for  a  yard  of  "shoe-string"  licorice. 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Miss  Bailey  was  greatly  disheartened  by 
this  reversion  to  the  original  type.  She  de 
livered  daily  lectures  on  nail-brushes,  hair- 
ribbons,  shoe  polish,  pins,  buttons,  elastic, 
and  other  means  to  grace.  Her  talks  on 
soap  and  water  became  almost  personal  in 
tone,  and  her  insistence  on  a  close  union  be 
tween  such  garments  as  were  meant  to  be 
united,  led  to  a  lively  traffic  in  twisted  and 
disreputable  safety-pins.  And  yet  the  First- 
Reader  Class,  in  all  other  branches  of  learn 
ing  so  receptive  and  responsive,  made  but 
halting  and  uncertain  progress  towards  that 
state  of  virtue  which  is  next  to  godliness. 

Early  in  January  came  the  report  that 
"  Gum  Shoe  Tim"  was  on  the  war-path  and 
might  be  expected  at  any  time.  Miss  Bailey 
heard  the  tidings  in  calm  ignorance  until 
Miss  Blake,  who  ruled  over  the  adjoining 

3 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

kingdom,  interpreted  the  warning.  A  li 
cense  to  teach  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York  is  good  for  only  one  year.  Its  renewal 
depends  upon  the  reports  of  the  Principal  in 
charge  of  the  school  and  of  the  Associate 
Superintendent  in  whose  district  the  school 
chances  to  be.  After  three  such  renewals 
the  license  becomes  permanent,  but  Miss 
Bailey  was,  as  a  teacher,  barely  four  months 
old.  The  Associate  Superintendent  for  her 
vicinity  was  the  Honourable  Timothy 
O'Shea,  known  and  dreaded  as  "  Gum  Shoe 
Tim,"  owing  to  his  engaging  way  of  creep 
ing  softly  up  back  stairs  and  appearing, 
all  unheralded  and  unwelcome,  upon  the 
threshold  of  his  intended  victim. 

This,  Miss  Blake  explained,  was  hi  defi 
ance  of  all  the  rules  of  etiquette  governing 
such    visits    of    inspection.       The    proper 
[127] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

procedure  had  been  that  of  Mr.  O' Shea's 
predecessor,  who  had  always  given  timely 
notice  of  his  coming  and  a  hint  as  to  the 
subjects  in  which  he  intended  to  examine 
the  children.  Some  days  later  he  would 
amble  from  room  to  room,  accompanied  by 
the  amiable  Principal,  and  followed  by  the 
gratitude  of  smiling  and  unruffled  teachers. 

This  kind  old  gentleman  was  now  retired 
and  had  been  succeeded  by  Mr.  O'Shea, 
who,  in  addition  to  his  unexpectedness, 
was  adorned  by  an  abominable  temper,  an 
overbearing  manner,  and  a  sense  of  cruel 
humour.  He  had  almost  finished  his  ex 
aminations  at  the  nearest  school  where,  dur 
ing  a  brisk  campaign  of  eight  days,  he  had 
caused  five  dismissals,  nine  cases  of  nervous 
exhaustion,  and  an  epidemic  of  hysteria. 

Day  by  day  nerves  grew  more  tense. 
[128] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

tempers  more  unsure,  sleep  and  appetite 
more  fugitive.  Experienced  teachers  went 
stolidly  on  with  the  ordinary  routine  while 
beginners  devoted  time  and  energy  to  the 
more  spectacular  portions  of  the  curriculum. 
But  no  one  knew  the  Honourable  Timothy's 
pet  subjects  and  so  no  one  could  specialize 
to  any  great  extent. 

Miss  Bailey  was  one  of  the  beginners,  and 
Room  18  was  made  to  shine  as  the  sun.  Mor 
ris  Mogilewsky,  Monitor  of  the  Gold-Fish 
Bowl,  wrought  busily  until  his  charges 
glowed  redly  against  the  water  plants  in  their 
shining  bowl.  Creepers  crept,  plants  grew, 
and  ferns  waved  under  the  care  of  Nathan 
Spiderwitz,  Monitor  of  the  Window  Boxes. 
There  was  such  a  martial  swing  and  strut  in 
Patrick  Brennan's  leadership  of  the  line 
that  it  informed  even  the  timid  heart  of  Isi- 
[129] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

dore  Wishnewsky  with  a  war-like  glow  and 
his  feet  with  a  spasmodic  but  well-meant 
tramp.  Sadie  Gonorowsky  and  Eva,  her 
cousin,  sat  closely  side  by  side,  no  longer 
"mad  on  theirselves,"  but  "mit  kind  feel 
ings."  The  work  of  the  preceding  term  was 
laid  in  neat  and  docketed  piles  upon  the  low 
book-case.  The  children  were  enjoined  to 
keep  clean  and  entire.  And  Teacher,  a  nerv 
ous  and  unsmiling  Teacher,  waited  dully. 

A  week  passed  thus,  and  then  the  good- 
hearted  and  experienced  Miss  Blake  hurried 
ponderously  across  the  hall  to  put  Teacher 
on  her  guard. 

"I've  just  had  a  note  from  one  of  the 
grammar  teachers,"  she  panted.  "'Gum 
Shoe  Tim'  is  up  in  Miss  Greene's  room. 
He'll  take  this  floor  next.  Now,  see  here, 
child,  don't  look  so  frightened.  The  Prin- 
[130] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

cipal  is  with  Tim.  Of  course  you're  nerv 
ous,  but  try  not  to  show  it.  And  you'll  be 
all  right,  his  lay  is  discipline  and  reading. 
Well,  good  luck  to  you!" 

Miss  Bailey  took  heart  of  grace.  The 
children  read  surprisingly  well,  were  abso 
lutely  good,  and  the  enemy  under  convoy  of 
the  friendly  Principal  would  be  much  less 
terrifying  than  the  enemy  at  large  and  alone. 
It  was,  therefore,  with  a  manner  almost  se 
rene  that  she  turned  to  greet  the  kindly  con 
cerned  Principal  and  the  dreaded  "Gum  Shoe 
Tim."  The  latter  she  found  less  ominous  of 
aspect  than  she  had  been  led  to  fear,  and 
the  Principal's  charming  little  speech  of 
introduction  made  her  flush  with  quick 
pleasure.  And  the  anxious  eyes  of  Sadie 
Gonorowsky,  noting  the  flush,  grew  calm  as 
Sadie  whispered  to  Eva,  her  close  cousin: 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  Say,  Teacher  has  a  glad.  She's  red  on 
the  face.  It  could  to  be  her  papa." 

"No.  It's  comp'ny,"  answered  Eva 
sagely.  "It  ain't  her  papa.  It's  comp'ny 
the  whiles  Teacher  takes  him  by  the  hand." 

The  children  were  not  in  the  least  discon 
certed  by  the  presence  of  the  large  man. 
They  always  enjoyed  visitors  and  they  liked 
the  heavy  gold  chain  which  festooned  the 
wide  white  waistcoat  of  this  guest;  and,  as 
they  watched  him,  the  Associate  Superin 
tendent  began  to  superintend. 

He  looked  at  the  children  all  in  their  clean 
and  smiling  rows:  he  looked  at  the  flowers 
and  the  gold  fish;  at  the  pictures  and  the 
plaster  casts:  he  looked  at  the  work  of  the 
last  term  and  he  looked  at  Teacher.  As  he 
looked  he  swayed  gently  on  his  rubber  heels 
and  decided  that  he  was  going  to  enjoy 
[132] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

the  coming  quarter  of  an  hour.  Teacher 
pleased  him  from  the  first.  She  was  neither 
old  nor  ill-favoured,  and  she  was  most 
evidently  nervous.  The  combination  ap 
pealed  both  to  his  love  of  power  and  his 
peculiar  sense  of  humour.  Settling  delib 
erately  in  the  chair  of  state,  he  began : 

"  Can  the  children  sing,  Miss  Bailey  ?" 

They  could  sing  very  prettily  and  they 
did. 

"Very  nice,  indeed,"  said  the  voice  of  vis 
iting  authority.  :<Very  nice.  Their  music 
is  exceptionally  good.  And  are  they  drilled  ? 
Children,  will  you  march  for  me  ?" 

Again  they  could  and  did.  Patrick  mar 
shaled  his  line  in  time  and  triumph  up  and 
.  down  the  aisles  to  the  evident  interest  and 
approval  of  the  "comp'ny,"  and  then 
Teacher  led  the  class  through  some  very 
[133] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

energetic  Swedish  movements.  While  arms 
and  bodies  were  bending  and  straightening 
at  Teacher's  command  and  example,  the 
door  opened  and  a  breathless  boy  rushed  in, 
He  bore  an  unfolded  note  and,  as  Teacher 
had  no  hand  to  spare,  the  boy  placed  the 
paper  on  the  desk  under  the  softening  eyes 
of  the  Honourable  Timothy,  who  glanced 
down  idly  and  then  pounced  upon  the  note 
and  read  its  every  word. 

"For  you,  Miss  Bailey,"  he  said  in  the 
voice  before  which  even  the  school  janitor 
had  been  known  to  quail.  "Your  friend 
was  thoughtful,  though  a  little  late."  And 
poor  palpitating  Miss  Bailey  read. 

"  Watch  out !     '  Gum  Shoe  Tim '  is  in  the 

building.     The   Principal   caught   him   on 

the  back  stairs  and  they're  going  round  to- 

gether.     He's  as  cross  as  a  bear.     Greene 

[134] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

in  dead  faint  in  dressing-room.  Says  he's 
going  to  fire  her.  Watch  out  for  him,  and 
send  the  news  on.  His  lay  is  reading  and 
discipline." 

Miss  Bailey  grew  cold  with  sick  and  un 
reasoning  fear.  As  she  gazed  wide-eyed  at 
the  living  confirmation  of  the  statement  that 
"  Gum  Shoe  Tim"  was  "  as  cross  as  a  bear," 
the  gentle-hearted  Principal  took  the  paper 
from  her  nerveless  grasp. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  assured  her.  "Mr. 
O'Shea  understands  that  you  had  no  part  in 
this.  It's  all  right.  You  are  not  responsible." 

But  Teacher  had  no  ears  for  his  soothing. 
She  could  only  watch  with  fascinated  eyes 
as  the  Honourable  Timothy  reclaimed  the 
note  and  wrote  across  it's  damning  face: 
"Miss  Greene  may  come  to.  She  is  not 
fired.— T.  O'S." 

[135] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Here,  boy,"  he  called;  "take  this  to 
your  teacher."  The  puzzled  messenger 
turned  to  obey,  and  the  Associate  Superin 
tendent  saw  that  though  his  dignity  had  suf 
fered  his  power  had  ncreased.  To  the  list 
of  those  whom  he  might,  if  so  disposed,  de 
vour,  he  had  now  added  the  name  of  the 
Principal,  who  was  quick  to  understand 
that  an  unpleasant  investigation  lay  before 
him.  If  Miss  Bailey  could  not  be  held  re 
sponsible  for  this  system  of  inter-classroom 
communication,  it  was  clear  that  the  Prin 
cipal  could. 

Every  trace  of  interest  had  left  Mr. 
O' Shea's  voice  as  he  asked: 

"Can  they  read?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  read,"  responded  Teacher, 
but  her  spirit  was  crushed  and  the  children 
reflected  her  depression.  Still,  they  were 
[136] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

marvellously  good  and  that  blundering  note 
had  said,  "Discipline  is  his  lay."  Well, 
here  he  had  it. 

There  was  one  spectator  of  this  drama, 
who,  understanding  no  word  nor  incident 
therein,  yet  missed  no  shade  of  the  many 
emotions  which  had  stirred  the  light  face  of 
his  lady.  Towards  the  front  of  the  room 
sat  Morris  Mogilewsky,  with  every  nerve 
tuned  to  Teacher's,  and  with  an  appre 
ciation  of  the  situation  in  which  the  other 
children  had  no  share.  On  the  afternoon  of 
one  of  those  dreary  days  of  waiting  for  the 
evil  which  had  now  come,  Teacher  had  en 
deavoured  to  explain  the  nature  and  possible 
result  of  this  ordeal  to  her  favourite.  It  was 
clear  to  him  now  that  she  was  troubled,  and 
he  held  the  large  and  unaccustomed  pres 
ence  of  the  comp'ny  mit  whiskers  respon- 
[137] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

sible.  Countless  generations  of  ancestors 
had  followed  and  fostered  the  instinct  which 
now  led  Morris  to  propitiate  an  angry  power. 
Luckily,  he  was  prepared  with  an  offering 
of  a  suitable  nature.  He  had  meant  to  en 
joy  it  for  yet  a  few  days,  and  then  to  give  it 
to  Teacher.  She  was  such  a  sensible  per 
son  about  presents.  One  might  give  her 
one's  most  cherished  possession  with  a  brave 
and  cordial  heart,  for  on  each  Friday  after 
noon  she  returned  the  gifts  she  had  re 
ceived  during  the  week.  And  this  with  no 
abatement  of  gratitude. 

Morris  rose  stealthily,  crept  forward,  and 
placed  a  bright  blue  bromo-seltzer  bottle  in 
the  fat  hand  which  hung  over  the  back  of 
the  chair  of  state.  The  hand  closed  instinc 
tively  as,  with  dawning  curiosity,  the  Hon 
ourable  Timothy  studied  the  small  figure  at 
[138] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

his  side.  It  began  in  a  wealth  of  loosely 
curling  hair  which  shaded  a  delicate  face, 
very  pointed  as  to  chin  and  monopolized  by 
a  pair  of  dark  eyes,  sad  and  deep  and  beau 
tiful.  A  faded  blue  "  jumper '  was  buttoned 
tightly  across  the  narrow  chest;  frayed 
trousers  were  precariously  attached  to  the 
"jumper,"  and  impossible  shoes  and  stock 
ings  supplemented  the  trousers.  Glancing 
from  boy  to  bottle,  the  "comp'ny  mit 
whiskers"  asked: 

"What's  this  for?" 

"For  you." 

"What's  in  it?" 

"A  present." 

Mr.  O'Shea  removed  the  cork  and  pro 
ceeded  to  draw  out  incredible  quantities  of 
absorbent  cotton.  When  there  was  no  more 
to  come,  a  faint  tinkle  sounded  within  the 
[139] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

blue  depths,  and  Mr.  O'Shea,  reversing  the 
bottle,  found  himself  possessed  of  a  trampled 
and  disfigured  sleeve  link  of  most  palpable 
brass. 

"It's  from  gold,"  Morris  assured  him. 
4  You  puts  it  in  your  —  'scuse  me  —  shirt. 
Wish  you  health  to  wear  it." 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  Honourable  Tim, 
and  there  was  a  tiny  break  in  the  gloom 
which  had  enveloped  him.  And  then,  with 
a  quick  memory  of  the  note  and  of  his 
anger: 

"  Miss  Bailey,  who  is  this  young  man  ?" 

And  Teacher,  of  whose  hobbies  Morris 
was  one,  answered  warmly:  "That  is 
Morris  Mogilewsky,  the  best  of  boys.  He 
takes  care  of  the  gold-fish,  and  does  all  sorts 
of  things  for  me.  Don't  you,  dear  ?  " 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma'an,"  Morris  answered. 
[140] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

"I'm  lovin'  much  mit  you.  I  gives  pres 
ents  on  the  company  over  you." 

"  Aint  he  rather  big  to  speak  such  broken 
English?"  asked  Mr.  O'Shea.  "I  hope 
you  remember  that  it  is  part  of  your  duty  to 
stamp  out  the  dialect." 

"Yes,  I  know,"  Miss  Bailey  answered. 
"But  Morris  has  been  in  America  for  so 
short  a  time.  Nine  months,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma' an.  1  comes  out  of 
Russia,"  responded  Morris,  on  the  verge  of 
tears  and  with  his  face  buried  in  Teacher's 
dress. 

Now  Mr.  O'Shea  had  his  prejudices  — 
strong  and  deep.  He  had  been  given  juris 
diction  over  that  particular  district  because 
it  was  his  native  heath,  and  the  Board  of 
Education  considered  that  he  would  be  more 
in  sympathy  with  the  inhabitants  than  a 
[141] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

stranger.  The  truth  was  absolutely  the  re 
verse.  Because  he  had  spent  his  early  years 
in  a  large  old  house  on  East  Broadway,  be 
cause  he  now  saw  his  birthplace  changed  to 
a  squalid  tenement,  and  the  happy  hunting 
grounds  of  his  youth  grown  ragged  and  for 
eign  —  swarming  with  strange  faces  and 
noisy  with  strange  tongues  —  Mr.  O'Shea 
bore  a  sullen  grudge  against  the  usurping 
race. 

He  resented  the  caressing  air  with  which 
Teacher  held  the  little  hand  placed  so  con 
fidently  within  her  own  and  he  welcomed 
the  opportunity  of  gratifying  his  still  ruf 
fled  temper  and  his  racial  antagonism  at  the 
same  time.  He  would  take  a  rise  out  of  this 
young  woman  about  her  little  Jew.  She 
would  be  comforted  later  on.  Mr.  O'Shea 
rather  fancied  himself  in  the  role  of  comfort- 
[142] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

er,  when  the  sufferer  was  neither  old  nor 
ill-favoured.  And  so  he  set  about  creating 
the  distress  which  he  would  later  change  to 
gratitude  and  joy.  Assuredly  the  Honour 
able  Timothy  had  a  well-developed  sense  of 
humour. 

"His  English  is  certainly  dreadful,"  re 
marked  the  voice  of  authority,  and  it  was  not 
an  English  voice,  nor  is  O'Shea  distinctively 
an  English  name.  "Dreadful.  And,  by 
the  way,  I  hope  you  are  not  spoiling  these 
youngsters.  You  must  remember  that  you 
are  fitting  them  for  the  battle  of  life.  Don't 
coddle  your  soldiers.  Can  you  reconcile 
your  present  attitude  with  discipline  ?" 

"With  Morris  —  yes,"  Teacher  answered. 
"He  is  gentle  and  tractable  beyond  words/' 

"Well,  I  hope  you're  right,"  grunted  Mr. 
O'Shea    "but  don't  coddle  them." 
[143] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

And  so  the  incident  closed.  The  sleeve 
link  was  tucked,  before  Morris's  yearning 
eyes,  into  the  reluctant  pocket  of  the  wide 
white  waistcoat,  and  Morris  returned  to  his 
place.  He  found  his  reader  and  the  proper 
page,  and  the  lesson  went  on  with  brisk  se 
renity:  real  on  the  children's  part,  but  brave 
ly  assumed  on  Teacher's.  Child  after  child 
stood  up;  read;  sat  down  again;  and  it  came 
to  be  the  duty  of  Bertha  Binderwitz  to  read 
the  entire  page  of  which  the  others  had  each 
read  a  line.  She  began  jubilantly,  but  soon 
stumbled,  hesitated,  and  wailed: 

"Stands  a  fierce  word.  I  don't  know 
what  it  is,"  and  Teacher  turned  to  write  the 
puzzling  word  upon  the  blackboard. 

Morris's  heart  stopped  with  a  sickening 
suddenness  and  then  rushed  madly  on 
again.  He  had  a  new  and  dreadful  duty  to 
[144] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

perform.  All  his  mother's  counsel,  all  his 
father's  precepts  told  him  that  it  was  his 
duty.  Yet  fear  held  him  in  his  little  seat 
behind  his  little  desk,  while  his  conscience 
insisted  on  this  unalterable  decree  of  the 
social  code:  "So  somebody's  clothes  is 
wrong  it's  polite  you  says  'scuse5  und  tells  it 
out." 

And  here  was  Teacher  whom  he  dearly 
loved,  whose  ideals  of  personal  adornment 
extended  to  full  sets  of  buttons  on  jumpers 
and  to  laces  in  both  shoes,  here  was  his  im 
maculate  lady  fair  in  urgent  need  of  assist 
ance  and  advice,  and  all  because  she  had  on 
that  day  inaugurated  a  delightfully  vigor 
ous  exercise  for  which,  architecturally,  she 
was  not  designed. 

There  was  yet  room  for  hope  that  some 
one  else  would  see  the  breach  and  brave  the 
[145] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

danger.  But  no.  The  visitor  sat  stolidly  in 
the  chair  of  state,  the  Principal  sat  serenely 
beside  him,  the  children  sat  each  in  his  own 
little  place,  behind  his  own  little  desk,  keep 
ing  his  own  little  eyes  on  his  own  little  book. 
No.  Morris's  soul  cried  with  Hamlet's : 

"  The  time  is  out  of  joint ;  —  O  cursed  spite, 
That  ever  I  was  born  to  set  it  right/*9 

Up  into  the  quiet  air  went  his  timid  hand. 
Teacher,  knowing  him  in  his  more  garrulous 
moods,  ignored  the  threatened  interruption 
of  Bertha's  spirited  resume,  but  the  wind 
mill  action  of  the  little  arm  attracted  the 
Honourable  Tirh's  attention. 

"The  best  of  boys  wants  you,"  he  sug 
gested,  and  Teacher  perforce  asked : 

"  Well,  Morris,  what  is  it  ?" 

Not  until  he  was  on  his  feet  did  the  Moni 
[146] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

tor  of  the  Gold-Fish  Bowl,  appreciate  the 
enormity  of  the  mission  he  had  under 
taken.  The  other  children  began  to  un 
derstand,  and  watched  his  struggle  for 
words  and  breath  with  sympathy  or  de 
rision,  as  their  natures  prompted.  But 
there  are  no  words  in  which  one  may  politely 
mention  ineffective  safety-pins  to  one's 
glass  of  fashion.  Morris's  knees  trembled 
queerly,  his  breathing  grew  difficult,  and 
Teacher  seemed  a  very  great  way  off  as 
she  asked  again: 

"Well,  what  is  it,  dear?" 

Morris  panted  a  little,  smiled  weakly,  and 
then  sat  down.  Teacher  was  evidently  puz 
zled,  the  "Comp'ny"  alert,  the  Principal 
uneasy. 

"Now,  Morris,"  Teacher  remonstrated, 
"you  must  tell  me  what  you  want." 
[147] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

But  Morris  had  deserted  his  etiquette  and 
his  veracity,  and  murmured  only: 

"Nothings." 

"Just  wanted  to  be  noticed,"  said  the 
Honourable  Tim.  "  It  is  easy  to  spoil  them." 
And  he  watched  the  best  of  boys  rather 
closely,  for  a  habit  of  interrupting  reading 
lessons,  wantonly  and  without  reason,  was  a 
trait  in  the  young  of  which  he  disapproved. 

When  this  disapprobation  manifested  it 
self  in  Mr.  O  'Shea's  countenance,  the  loyal 
heart  of  Morris  interpreted  it  as  a  new  men 
ace  to  his  sovereign.  No  later  than  yes 
terday  she  had  warned  them  of  the  vital  im 
portance  of  coherence.  ' '  Every  one  knows, 
she  had  said,  "  that  only  common  little  boys 
and  girls  come  apart.  No  one  ever  likes 
them,"  and  the  big  stranger  was  even  now 
misjudging  her. 

[148] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

Again  his  short  arm  agitated  the  quiet 
air.  Again  his  trembling  legs  upheld  a 
trembling  boy.  Again  authority  urged. 
Again  Teacher  asked : 

"Well,  Morris,  what  is  it,  dear?'* 

All  this  was  as  before,  but  not  as  before 
was  poor  harassed  Miss  Bailey's  swoop 
down  the  aisle,  her  sudden  taking  of  Mor 
ris's  troubled  little  face  between  her  soft 
hands,  the  quick  near  meeting  with  her 
kind  eyes,  the  note  of  pleading  in  her  repe 
tition  : 

"  What  do  you  want,  Morris  ?" 

He  was  beginning  to  answer  when  it  oc 
curred  to  him  that  the  truth  might  make  her 
cry.  There  was  an  unsteadiness  about  her 
upper  lip  which  seemed  to  indicate  the  possi 
bility.  Suddenly  he  found  that  he  no  longer 
yearned  for  words  in  which  to  tell  her  of  her 
[149] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

disj  ointment,  but  for  something  else  — • 
anything  else  —  to  say. 

His  miserable  eyes  escaped  from  hers  and 
wandered  to  the  wall  in  desperate  search  for 
conversation.  There  was  no  help  in  the 
pictures,  no  inspiration  in  the  plaster  casts, 
but  on  the  blackboard  he  read,  "Tuesday, 
January  twenty-first,  1902."  Only  the  date, 
but  he  must  make  it  serve.  With  Teacher 
close  beside  him,  with  the  hostile  eye  of  the 
Honourable  Tim  upon  him,  hedged  round 
about  by  the  frightened  or  admiring  regard 
of  the  First-Reader  Class,  Morris  blinked 
rapidly,  swallowed  resolutely,  and  re 
marked  : 

"Teacher,  this  year's  Nineteen-hundred- 
and-two,"  and  knew  that  all  was  over. 

The  caressing  clasp  of  Teacher's  hands 
grew  into  a  grip  of  anger.  The  counte- 
[150] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

nance  of  Mr.  O'Shea  took  on  the  beatified 
expression  of  the  prophet  who  has  found 
honour  and  verification  in  his  own  country. 

"The  best  of  boys  has  his  off  days  and 
this  is  one  of  them,"  he  remarked. 

"Morris,"  said  Teacher,  "did  you  stop  a 
reading  lesson  to  tell  me  that?  Do  you 
think  I  don't  know  what  the  year  is  ?  I'm 
ashamed  of  you." 

Never  had  she  spoken  thus.  If  the  tell 
ing  had  been  difficult  to  Morris  when  she 
was  "glad  on  him,"  it  was  impossible  now 
that  she  was  a  prey  to  such  evident  "mad 
feelings."  And  yet  he  must  make  some  ex 
planation.  So  he  murmured:  "Teacher, 
I  tells  you  'scuse.  I  know  you  knows  what 
year  stands,  on'y  it's  polite  I  tells  you  some 
thing,  und  I  had  a  fraid." 

"And  so  you  bothered  your  Teacher  with 
[151] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

that  nonsense,"  said  Tim.     u  You're  a  nice 
boy!" 

Morris's  eyes  were  hardly  more  appealing 
than  Teacher's  as  the  two  culprits,  for  so 
they  felt  themselves,  turned  to  their  judge. 

"Morris  is  a  strange  boy,"  Miss  Bailey 
explained.  "He  can't  be  managed  by  or 
dinary  methods  — " 

"And  extraordinary  methods  don't  seem 
to  work  to-day,"  Mr.  O'Shea  interjected. 

'*  —  and  I  think,"  Teacher  continued, 
"that  it  might  be  better  not  to  press  the 
point." 

"  Oh,  if  you  have  no  control  over  him  — •" 
Mr.  O'Shea  was  beginning  pleasantly,  when 
the  Principal  suggested : 

'You'd  better  let  us  hear  what  he  has  to 
say,  Miss  Bailey;  make  him  understand  that 
you  are  master  here."     And  Teacher,  with  a 
[152] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

heart-sick  laugh  at  the  irony  of  this  advice 
in  the  presence  of  the  Associate  Superinten 
dent,  turned  to  obey. 

But  Morris  would  utter  no  words  but 
these,  dozens  of  times  repeated:  "I  have  a 
fraid."  Miss  Bailey  coaxed,  bribed,  threat 
ened  and  cajoled;  shook  him  surreptitiously, 
petted  him  openly.  The  result  was  always 
the  same:  "It's  polite  I  tells  you  some 
thing  out,  on'y  I  had  a  fraid." 

"But,  Morris,  dear,  of  what  ?"  cried  Tea 
cher.  "  Are  you  afraid  of  me  ?  Stop  cry 
ing  now  and  answer.  Are  you  afraid  of 
Miss  Bailey?" 

"N-o-o-oh  m-a-a-an." 

"Are  you  afraid  of  the  Principal  ?" 

"N-o-o-oh  m-a-a-an." 

"Are  you  afraid" — with  a  slight  pause, 
during  which  a  native  hue  of  honesty  was 
[153] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

foully  done  to  death  — "of  the  kind  gentle 
man  we  are  all  so  glad  to  see  ?  " 

"N-o-o-oh  m-a-a-an." 

"  Well,  then,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ? 
Are  you  sick  ?  Don't  you  think  you  would 
like  to  go  home  to  your  mother  ?" 

"N-o-o-oh  m-a-a-an;  I  ain't  sick.  I  tells 
you  'scuse." 

The  repeated  imitation  of  a  sorrowful 
goat  was  too  much  for  the  Honourable  Tim. 

"  Bring  that  boy  to  me/'  he  commanded. 
"I'll  show  you  how  to  manage  refractory 
and  rebellious  children." 

With  much  difficulty  and  many  assur 
ances  that  the  gentleman  was  not  going  to 
hurt  him,  Miss  Bailey  succeeded  in  untwin 
ing  Morris's  legs  from  the  supports  of  the 
desk  and  in  half  carrying,  half  leading  him 
up  to  the  chair  of  state.  An  ominous  si- 
[154] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

lence  had  settled  over  the  room.  Eva  Go- 
norowsky  was  weeping  softly,  and  the  re 
doubtable  Isidore  Applebaum  was  stiffened 
in  a  frozen  calm. 

"Morris,"  began  the  Associate  Superin 
tendent  in  his  most  awful  tones,  "will  you 
tell  me  why  you  raised  your  hand  ?  Come 
here,  sir." 

Teacher  urged  him  gently,  and  like  dog 
to  heel,  he  went.  He  halted  within  a  pace  or 
two  of  Mr.  O'Shea,  and  lifted  a  beseeching 
face  towards  him. 

"I  couldn't  to  tell  nothing  out,"  said  he. 
"  I  tells  you  'scuse.  I'm  got  a  fraid." 

The  Honourable  Tim  lunged  quickly  and 
caught  the  terrified  boy  preparatory  to 
shaking  him,  but  Morris  escaped  and  fled  to 
his  haven  of  safety  —  his  Teacher's  arms. 
When  Miss  Bailey  felt  the  quick  clasp  of  the 
[155] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

thin  little  hands,  the  heavy  beating  of  the 
over-tried  heart,  and  the  deep  convulsive 
sobs,  she  turned  on  the  Honourable  Timothy 
O'Shea  and  spoke : 

"I  must  ask  you  to  leave  this  room 
at  once,"  she  announced.  The  Principal 
started,  and  then  sat  back.  Teacher's  eyes 
were  dangerous,  and  the  Honourable  Tim 
might  profit  by  a  lesson.  "You've  fright 
ened  the  child  until  he  can't  breathe.  I 
can  do  nothing  with  him  while  you  remain. 
The  examination  is  ended.  You  may  go." 

Now  Mr.  O'Shea  saw  he  had  gone  a  little 
too  far  in  his  effort  to  create  the  proper  dra 
matic  setting  for  his  clemency.  He  had  not 
expected  the  young  woman  to  "rise"  quite 
so  far  and  high.  His  deprecating  half-apol 
ogy,  half-eulogy,  gave  Morris  the  opportu 
nity  he  craved. 

[156] 


TEACHER,     I     TELLS     YOU     'SCUSE1 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

"Teacher,"  he  panted;  "I  wants  to  whis 
per  mit  you  in  the  ear." 

With  a  dexterous  movement  he  knelt  upon 
her  lap  and  tore  out  his  solitary  safety- 
pin.  He  then  clasped  her  tightly  and  made 
his  explanation.  He  began  in  the  softest 
of  whispers,  which  increased  in  volume  as 
it  did  in  interest,  so  that  he  reached  the  cli 
max  at  the  full  power  of  his  boy  soprano 
voice. 

"Teacher,  Missis  Bailey,  I  know  you 
know  what  year  stands.  On'y  it's  polite  I 
tells  you  something,  und  I  had  a  fraid  the 
while  the  comp'ny  mit  the  whiskers  sets  und 
rubbers.  But,  Teacher,  it's  like  this:  your 
jumper's  sticking  out  und  you  could  to  take 
mine  safety-pin." 

He  had  understood  so  little  of  all  that  had 
passed  that  he  was  beyond  being  surprised 
[157] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

by  the  result  of  this  communication.  Miss 
Bailey  had  gathered  him  into  her  arms  and 
had  cried  in  a  queer  helpless  way.  And  as 
she  cried  she  had  said  over  and  over  again: 
"  Morris,  how  could  you  ?  Oh,  how  could 
you,  dear  ?  How  could  you  ?  " 

The  Principal  and  "the  comp'ny  mit 
whiskers"  had  looked  solemnly  at  one  an 
other  for  a  struggling  moment,  and  had  then 
broken  into  laughter,  long  and  loud,  until 
the  visiting  authority  was  limp  and  moist. 
The  children  waited  in  polite  uncertainty, 
but  when  Miss  Bailey,  after  some  inde 
cision,  had  contributed  a  wan  smile,  which 
later  grew  into  a  shaky  laugh,  the  First- 
Reader  Class  went  wild. 

Then  the  Honourable  Timothy  arose  to 
say  good-by.  He  reiterated  his  praise  of 
the  singing  and  reading,  the  blackboard 
[158] 


MORRIS    AND    THE    HONOURABLE    TIM 

work  and  the  moral  tone.  An  awkward 
pause  ensued,  during  which  the  Principal 
engaged  the  young  Gonorowskys  in  im 
promptu  conversation.  The  Honourable 
Tim  crossed  over  to  Miss  Bailey's  side  and 
steadied  himself  for  a  great  effort. 

"Teacher,"  he  began  meekly,  "I  tells 
you  'scuse.  This  sort  of  thing  makes  a  man 
feel  like  a  bull  in  a  china  shop.  Do  you 
think  the  little  fellow  will  shake  hands  with 
me  ?  I  was  really  only  joking." 

"But  surely  he  will,"  said  Miss  Bailey,  as 
she  glanced  down  at  the  tangle  of  dark  curls 
resting  against  her  breast.  "Morris,  dear, 
aren't  you  going  to  say  good-by  to  the  gen 
tleman?" 

Morris  relaxed  one  hand  from  its  grasp 
on  his  lady  and  bestowed  it  on  Mr.  O'Shea. 

"  Good  by,"  said  he  gently.  "  I  gives  you 
.  [ 159  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

presents,  from  gold  presents,  the  while  you're 
friends  mit  Teacher.  I'm  loving  much  mit 
her  too." 

At  this  moment  the  Principal  turned,  and 
Mr.  O'Shea,  in  a  desperate  attempt  to  re 
trieve  his  dignity,  began:  "As  to  class 
management  and  discipline  — 

But  the  Principal  was  not  to  be  deceived. 

"Don't  you  think,  Mr.  O'Shea,"  said  he, 
"that  you  and  I  had  better  leave  the  man 
agement  of  the  little  ones  to  the  women? 
You  have  noticed,  perhaps,  that  this  is  Na 
ture's  method." 


[160] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

It  was  a  quarter  past  nine  and  Miss  Bailey 
was  calling  the  roll,  an  undertaking  which, 
after  months  of  daily  practice,  was  still  for 
midable.  Beginning  with  Abraham  Abra- 
hamowsky  and  continuing  through  the  al 
phabet  to  Solomon  Zaracheck,  the  roll-call 
of  the  First-Reader  Class  was  full  of  stum 
bling  blocks  and  pitfalls.  Teacher  insisted 
upon  absolute  silence  during  the  five  min 
utes  thus  consumed,  and  so  it  chanced  that 
the  excitement  of  Miss  Blake,  bursting  into 
Room  18  at  this  particular  time,  was  thrown 
into  strong  relief  against  the  prevailing 
peaceo 

[161] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

"Miss  Bailey,"  began  the  ruffled  sover 
eign  of  the  room  across  the  hall,  "did  the 
Principal  speak  to  you  about  one  of  my  boys 
being  put  back  into  your  grade  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  some  weeks  ago." 

16  Well,  he  has  been  absent  ever  since,  but 
he  turned  up  this  morning.  Are  you  ready 
to  take  him  now?" 

"  But  of  course  —    How  old  is  he  ?  " 

"Nearly  seven.  Too  old  for  your  grade  and 
too  advanced,  but  the  Principal  wants  you 
to  have  him  because  my  boys  laugh  at  him. 
His  mother  is  dead,  his  sisters  in  an  orphan 
asylum,  and  we  thought  that  your  little  girls 
might  have  a  civilizing  influence  over  him." 

"Perhaps  they  may,"  Teacher  cheerfully 
acquiesced.       "  Eva     Gonorowsky     alone 
would    civilize  a  whole   tribe   of   savages. 
Will  you  bring  him  to  me  ?  " 
[162] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

The  door  of  Room  17  was  not  quite 
closed,  and  from  behind  it  came  sounds  of 
talking  and  of  laughter.  Miss  Blake  threw 
a  few  words  upon  the  turmoil,  and  silence 
immediately  ensued.  Then  said  she:  "Is 
idore  Diamantstein,  come  here,"  and  the 
only  result  was  a  slight  titter. 

"Abie  Fishhandler,"  she  next  command 
ed,  "bring  Diamantstein  to  Miss  Bailey's 


room.'1 


The  tittering  increased  and  to  it  were 
added  a  scuffle  and  a  sleepily  fretful  "  Lem- 
me  be."  A  heavy  footstep  crossed  the  hall 
and  the  stalwart  Abie  Fishhandler  stalked 
into  Room  18,  bearing  the  new  boy  in  his 
arms.  From  his  dusty  unlaced  shoes  to  his 
jungle  of  gleaming  red  hair,  Isidore  Dia 
mantstein  was  inert,  dirty,  and  bedraggled. 

"Oh,  let  him  stand!"  cried  Miss  Blake 
[163] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

sharply.  "Here,  Diamantstein,  what's  the 
matter  with  you  ?  This  is  Miss  Bailey,  your 
new  teacher." 

"How  do  you  do,  Isidore?"  said  Miss 
Bailey,  as  she  stooped  and  took  his  hand. 
Then  she  added  quickly  to  Miss  Blake: 
"  He  seems  feverish.  Is  he  ill  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  he  is,"  the  other  answered.  "  I 
never  saw  him  so  queer  as  he  is  this  morn 
ing.  You'd  better  let  the  doctor  see  him 
when  he  comes." 

But  long  before  the  eleven  o'clock  visit  of 
the  physician  of  the  Board  of  Health,  the  ill 
ness  of  Isidore  had  reached  its  crisis.  When 
Miss  Bailey  had  established  him  in  his  new 
place  he  had  seen  nothing  of  his  surround 
ings  and  had  been  quite  deaf  to  the  greet 
ings,  whether  shy  or  jeering,  with  which 
the  First-Reader  Class  had  welcomed  him. 
[164] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

Left  to  his  own  devices,  he  had  promptly 
laid  his  arms  upon  his  desk  and  his  head 
upon  his  arms.  Five  minutes  passed.  Ten 
minutes.  Isidore's  brilliant  head  still  rested 
on  his  folded  arms  and  Teacher  felt  that  she 
must  make  some  effort  to  comfort  his  word 
less  misery. 

"Isidore,"  she  began,  bending  over  him, 
"  you  won't  have  to  stay  here  very  long.  You 
may  go  back  to  Miss  Blake  in  a  few  days  if 
you  are  good.  So  now,  dear  boy,  cheer  up ! " 
But  as  she  patted  the  shoulder  nearest  to 
her  a  long  sigh  quivered  through  the  little 
body. 

"Now,  don't  do  that,"  Miss  Bailey  urged. 
"Isidore,  sit  up  nicely  and  let  me  look  at 
you,"  and,  slipping  her  hand  beneath  the 
chin,  she  turned  the  face  up  to  hers. 

She  was  prepared  for  tear-drenched  eyes 
[165] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

and  trembling  lips  but  she  found  neither. 
Isidore's  dark-lashed  lids  drooped  heavily 
over  his  unseeing  eyes,  his  head  rolled 
loosely  from  side  to  side,  and  he  began  to 
slip,  silently  and  unconsciously  to  the  floor. 

Teacher,  in  wild  alarm,  bore  him  to  an 
open  window  and  sent  Patrick  Brennan  in 
flying  search  of  the  Principal.  A  great  re 
vulsion  shook  her  whenever  she  looked  at 
the  blank  little  face,  but  she  never  guessed 
the  truth.  Patrick's  quest  was  short  and 
the  Principal's  first  glance  sufficient. 

"Send  for  the  janitor,"  he  commanded, 
and  then,  "  Miss  Bailey,  may  I  speak  to  you 
in  the  hall?" 

Teacher  invested  Morris  Mogilewsky  in 
the  chair  and  the  position  of  authority,  sent 
Patrick  for  the  janitor,  and,  strangely  shak 
en,  followed  the  Principal. 
[166] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S   WIDOWED 

"  What  is  it  ?"  she  asked,  miserably,  when 
the  door  was  closed.  "  What  is  the  matter 
with  that  baby?" 

"  Well,"  said  the  Principal  kindly,  "  if  you 
were  more  experienced  you  would  be  less 
shocked  than  I  fear  you  are  going  to  be.  The 
child  is  simply  and  most  abominably  drunk." 

"  Drunk ! "  gasped  Miss  Bailey.  "  Drunk ! 
and  not  seven  years  old ! " 

"Drunk,"  echoed  the  Principal.  "Poor 
little  chap!  Did  Miss  Blake  tell  you  the 
history  ?  —  The  mother  dead,  the  father 
away  all  day,  no  woman's  care.  Of  course, 
the  end  will  be  the  reformatory,  but  I  won 
der  if  we  can  do  anything  before  that  end  is 
reached?" 

"Oh,  it  can't  be  quite  hopeless!"  cried 
Miss    Bailey.     "Please    give    him   to    me. 
But  I  want  to  see  that  father." 
C167] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"So  you  shall,"  the  Principal  assured  her. 
"  I  shall  send  for  him  to-morrow  to  explain 
this.  But  he  will  be  entirely  at  sea.  I  have 
him  here  every  two  or  three  weeks  about  one 
or  other  of  his  children  —  there  are  two  boys 
in  the  upper  grades  —  and  the  poor  devil 
never  can  explain.  However,  I  shall  let  you 
know  when  he  is  here." 

The  morrow  proved  the  Principal's  sur 
mise  to  have  been  correct.  Mr.  Lazarus 
Diamantstein  stood  in  helpless  and  hopeless 
misery  before  a  court  of  inquiry  comprising 
the  Principal,  Miss  Bailey,  the  physician  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  a  representative  of  the 
Gerry  Society,  the  truant  officer,  the  indig 
nant  janitor,  and  a  policeman  who  had  come 
to  the  school  in  reference  to  the  florid  lan 
guage  of  his  own  small  son,  and,  for  scenic 
effect,  was  pressed  into  service.  Mr.  Dia- 
[168] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

mantstein  turned  from  one  to  another  of 
these  stern-faced  officials  and  to  each  in  turn 
he  made  his  unaltered  plea: 

"Mine  leetle  Izzie  was  a  goot  leetle  boy. 
He  don't  never  make  like  you  says.  Ach! 
never,  never!" 

Again,  for  effect,  scenic  or  moral,  the 
Principal  indicated  one  of  the  hostile  fig 
ures  of  the  court.  "This  gentleman,"  said 
he,  "belongs  to  a  society  which  will  take 
charge  of  your  son.  Have  you  ever,  Mr. 
Diamantstein,  heard  of  the  Gerry  Society  ?" 

Poor  Mr.  Diamantstein  cowered.  In  all 
the  terrifying  world  in  which  he  groped  so 
darkly,  the  two  forces  against  which  he  had 
been  most  often  warned  were  the  Board  of 
Health,  which  might  at  any  time  and  with 
out  notice  wash  out  one's  house  and  confis 
cate  one's  provisions;  and  the  Gerry  Society, 
[169] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

which  washed  one's  children  with  soap  made 
from  the  grease  of  pigs,  and  fed  them  with  all 
sorts  of  "traef  "  and  unblessed  meat. 

"Ach,  no!"  he  implored.  "Gott,  no! 
You  should  not  take  and  make  so  mit  mine 
leetle  boy.  He  ain't  a  bad  boy.  He  sure 
ain't." 

"Really,  I  don't  think  he  is,"  Miss  Bai 
ley's  cool  and  quiet  voice  interposed,  and  in 
a  moment  the  harassed  father  was  at  her 
side  pleading,  extenuating,  fawning. 

"That  young  lady,"  said  the  Principal, 
"is  your  only  hope.  If  Miss  Bailey  — 
Mr.  Diamantstein  interpreted  this  as  an  in 
troduction  and  bowed  most  wonderfully — 
"  If  Miss  Bailey  will  keep  Isidore  in  her  class 
he  may  stay  in  the  school.  If  not,  this  gen 
tleman  —  By  the  way,  Miss  Bailey,  is  he 
at  school  to-day  ?  " 

[170] 


WHEN    A   MAN'S    WIDOWED 

"Oh,  yes,  and  behaving  beautifully. 
Perhaps  his  father  would  care  to  see  him. 
Will  you  come  with  me,  Mr.  Diamant 
stein?" 

Yearnings  to  see  the  cause  of  all  this  trou 
ble  and  sorrow  were  not  very  strong  in  the 
paternal  bosom,  but  Mr.  Diamantstein  wel 
comed  the  opportunity  to  escape  from  offi 
cialdom  and  inquiry. 

As  she  led  the  way  to  Room  18,  Teacher 
was  again  impressed  by  the  furtive  helpless 
ness  of  the  man.  Living  in  a  land  whose 
language  was  well-nigh  unintelligible  to  him, 
ruled  and  judged  by  laws  whose  existence 
he  could  learn  only  by  breaking  them,  driven 
out  of  one  country,  unwelcomed  in  another, 
Mr.  Diamantstein  was  indeed  a  wanderer 
and  an  outcast.  Some  note  of  sympathy 
found  its  way  into  Miss  Bailey's  efforts  at 
[171] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

conversation,  and  Mr.  Diamantstein's  quick 
ear  detected  it.  The  vision  of  Isidore  in  his 
new  surroundings,  the  pictures  and  flowers, 
the  swinging  canary  and  the  plaster  casts, 
impressed  him  mightily,  while  Miss  Bailey's 
evident  and  sincere  interest  in  his  efforts  to 
do  what  he  could  for  his  boys  took  him  en 
tirely  by  surprise.  He  admonished  Isidore 
to  superhuman  efforts  towards  the  reforma 
tion  which  might  keep  him  in  this  beautiful 
room  and  under  the  care  of  its  lady,  and,  as 
he  was  about  to  return  to  his  neglected  sew 
ing  machine,  he  gave  Miss  Bailey  all  he  had 
to  give : 

"Say,  Teacher,"  said  he,  with  a  wistful 
glance  at  his  frail  little  son;  "say,  you  want 
to  lick  Issie  ?  Well,  you  can." 

"  Oh,  thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Diamant- 
stein,"  returned  Miss  Bailey,  while  Isidore, 
[172] 


SHE    S     A     BEAUTIFUL     YONGE     UPTOWN     LADY,     BUT     EASY 
SCARED.       OH,     AWFUL     EASY     SCARED!" 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

thus  bestowed,  wept  aloud,  and  required  in 
stant  soothing.     "  That's  very  good  of  you, 
but  I  hope  it  won't  be  necessary." 

"Well,"  said  the  father  generously,  "so 
you  want  lick,  so  you  can  lick."  And  so  de 
parted. 

Miss  Bailey's  new  responsibility  "contin 
ued  ^to  behave  beautifully.  He  was  peace 
fully  disposed  towards  the  other  boys,  who 
feared  and  venerated  him  as  a  member  of 
the  "  Clinton  Street  gang."  He  fell  prompt 
ly  captive  to  the  dark  and  gentle  charms  of 
Eva  Gonorowsky  and  to  the  calm  dominion 
of  Teacher.  To  the  latter  he  showed  a  lov 
ing  confidence  which  she  met  with  a  broad- 
minded  tolerance,  very  wonderful  to  his  eyes 
in  a  person  of  authority.  She  seemed  really 
to  understand  the  sweet  reasonableness  of 
the  reminiscences  with  which  he  enter- 
[173] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

tained  her.  And  if  she  sometimes  deplored 
the  necessity  of  so  much  lying,  stealing, 

fighting  and  late  hours,  well  so,  of  late,  did 

• 

he.  She  asked  him  quite  calmly  one  day 
what  he  had  had  for  breakfast  on  the  morn 
ing  of  his  first  day  in  Room  18,  and  how  he 
had  chanced  to  be  so  drunk,  and  he,  with 
true  economy,  answered  two  questions  with 
one  word : 

"Beer." 

"And  where,"  asked  Teacher,  still  care 
fully  unimpressed,  "did  you  get  it?  From 
your  father?" 

"Naw,"  said  Isidore,  whose  manners 
were  yet  unformed.  "He  don't  never  get 
no  beer.  He  ain't  got  a  can  even." 

"Then  where?" 

"Tothes'loon." 

"And  which  saloon?"  Miss  Bailey's 
1 1741 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

quiet  eyes  betrayed  no  trace  of  her  determi 
nation  that  the  proprietor  should  suffer  the 
full  penalty  of  the  law.  "I  thought  little 
boys  were  not  allowed  into  saloons." 

"  Well,"  Isidore  admitted,  "  I  ain't  gone  in 
the  s'loon.  I  tells  the  lady  on  our  floor  that 
my  papa  likes  that  she  should  lend  her  can 
und  she  says,  'He's  welcome,  all  right.' 
Und  I  gives  the  can  on  a  man  what  stands  by 
the  s'loon,  und  I  says :  '  My  papa  he  has  a 
sickness,  und  beer  is  healthy  for  him.  On'y 
he  couldn't  to  come  for  buy  none.  You 
could  to  take  a  drink  for  yourself.'  Und  the 
man  says, '  Sure.'  Und  he  gets  the  beer  und 
takes  the  drink  —  a  awful  big  drink  —  und 
I  sets  by  the  curb  und  drinks  what  is  in  the 
can.  It's  awful  nice  for  me." 

Miss  Bailey's  hope  for  any  real  or  lasting 
moral  change  in  Isidore  was  sadly  shaken 
|J175] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

by  this  revelation.  Six  and  a  half  years  old 
"and  deliberately  plotting  and  really  enjoy 
ing  a  drunken  debauch!  Surely,  the  re 
formatory  seemed  inevitable.  Suddenly  she 
became  conscious  that  the  chain  of  circum 
stance  in  Isidore's  recital  was  not  complete. 

"But  the  money,"  she  asked;  "where  did 
you  get  that?" 

Isidore' s  eyes  were  wells  of  candour  as  he 
answered :  "  Off  a  lady." 

"  And  why  did  she  give  it  to  you  ?" 

"  'Cause  I  tells  her  my  mamma  lays  on  the 
hospital  und  I  like  I  should  buy  her  a  orange 
on'y  I  ain't  got  no  money  for  buy  none." 

"Oh,  Isidore!"  cried  Teacher,  in  a  voice 
in  which  horror,  pity,  reproach,  and  wonder 
mingled.  "And  you  have  no  mother!" 
And  Isidore's  answer  was  his  professional 
whine,  most  heartrending  and  insincere. 
[176] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

Gradually  and  carefully  Teacher  became 
slightly  censorious  and  mildly  didactic,  and 
slowly  Isidore  Diamantstein  came  to  for 
sake  the  paths  of  evil  and  to  spend  long  af 
ternoons  in  the  serene  and  admiring  com 
panionship  of  Morris  Mogilewsky,  Patrick 
Brennan  and  Nathan  Spiderwitz.  But 
when,  early  in  December,  he  found  a  strand 
ed  comic  valentine  and  presented  it,  blush- 
ingly,,  to  Eva  Gonorowsky,  Miss  Bailey 
found  that  success  was  indeed  most  sweet. 

Mr.  Diamantstein's  visits  to  the  school, 
directed  with  patient  futility  to  the  propitia^ 
tion  of  the  teachers  of  his  older  sons,  always 
ended  in  a  cheering  little  talk  with  the  young 
ruler  of  Room  18.  To  her  he  confided  his 
history,  his  difficulties,  and  his  hopes.  In 
return  she  gave  him  advice,  encouragement, 
and,  in  moments  of  too  pressing  need,  as- 
[1771 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

sistance.  The  need  of  this  kind  was,  how 
ever,  rare,  for  Mr.  Diamantstein  was  an  ex 
pert  in  one  of  the  most  difficult  branches  of 
the  tailor's  art,  and  his  salary  better  than 
that  of  many  of  his  fellows. 

Shortly  after  the  incident  of  the  valentine 
Mr.  Diamantstein  came  to  Room  18  in  radi 
ant  array.  His  frock  coat  was  new  and  of  a 
wondrous  fashion,  his  tan  shoes  were  of 
superlative  length  and  sharpness  of  toe,  both 
his  coat  and  vest  were  open  to  the  lowest 
button  and  turned  back  to  give  due  promi 
nence  to  the  bright  blue  shirt  beneath.  His 
hair  shone  in  luxurious  and  oiled  profusion, 
and  in  the  collarless  band  of  his  shirt,  a 
chaste  diamond  stud,  not  much  larger  than 
a  butter-plate,  flashed  and  shimmered 
through  his  curled  black  beard.  It  was  lun 
cheon  time,  and  Teacher  was  at  liberty. 
[178] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

"Say,  Missis  Pailey,"  he  began,  "what 
you  think  ?  I'm  a  loafer." 

"Did  you  give  up  your  position?"  asked 
Miss  Bailey,  "  or  did  you  lose  it  ?  You  can 
easily  get  another,  I  hope." 

"You  not  understand,"  cried  the  guest 
eagerly.  "I  was  one  great  big  loafer,"  and 
he  laid  outstretched  hands  upon  the  blue 
bosom  of  his  gala  shirt;  "  one  great  big  loafer 
man. 

"No,  I'm  afraid  I  don't  understand," 
confessed  Miss  Bailey.  "Tell  me  about 
it." 

"Veil,  I  was  a  vidder  man,"  Mr.  Dia- 
mantstein  explained.  "Mine  vife  she  die. 
From  long  she  die,  und  I'm  a  vidder  man. 
But  now  I  marry,  maybe,  again.  I  ain't  no 
more  a  vidder  man.  I  was  a  loafer  on  a 
beautiful  yonge  lady." 

[1793 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Oh!  you're  a  lover,  Mr.  Diamantstein. 
Why,  that's  the  best  news  I've  heard  for 
ages!     And  your  new  wife  will  take  care  of  . 
the  boys.     I  am  so  glad ! " 

"She's  a  beautiful  yonge  lady,"  the  Lo 
thario  continued;  "but  easy  scared!  Oh, 
awful  easy  scared !  So  I  don't  tell  her  noth 
ings  over  those  devil  boys." 

"Now,  Mr.  Diamantstein — "  Teacher 
began  admonishingly,  but  he  interrupted. 

"  I  tells  her  like  this :     *  Say,  ain't  it  nice  ? 

I  got  three  leetle  poys  —  awful  nice  leetle  poys 

—no  one  ain't  never  seen  no  better  leetle 

poysc'  Und  she  says  she  won't  marry  mit  me. 

Ain't  I  tell  you  how  she's  easy  scared  ?   But 

I  tells  her  all  times  how  my  leetle  poys 

is     goot,    how    they    makes    for    her    the 

work,  und  the  dinner,  und  the  beds.     Und 

now  she  says  she  will  marry  mit  me  und 

£180] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

I'm  a  loafer  on  a  beautiful  yonge  uptown 
lady." 

The  wild  gesticulations  of  Mr.  Diamant- 
stein  during  this  account  of  his  courtship 
and  of  its  triumphant  conclusion  were  won 
derful  to  see.  He  stopped  now,  glowing  and 
panting,  and  Teacher  noticed,  for  the  first 
time,  that  he  was  still  a  young  man,  and  that 
there  was  some  shadow  of  excuse  for  the 
reckless  course  of  the  "beautiful  yonge  up 
town  lady." 

"Mr.  Diamantstein,"  she  said  heartily, 
"I  wish  you  joy.  I'm  sure  you  deserve  it, 
and  I  hope  the  young  lady  will  be  as  good  as 
she  is  beautiful.  Bring  her  to  see  me  some 
day,  won't  you  ?" 

"Sure,"  said  Mr.  Diamantstein  politely. 

But  ah,  for  the  plans  of  mice  and  men! 
and  oh,  for  the  slip  and  the  lip!  Within 
[181] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

that  very  week  the  airy  castle  of  Mr.  Dia- 
mantstein's  hopes  was  shaken  to  its  foun 
dations.  The  cause  was,  of  course,  "them 
devil  poys."  Julius  and  Nathan  Diamant- 
stein  were  convicted  of  having  stolen  and  of 
fered  for  sale  books,  pencils,  and  paper,  the 
property  of  the  Board  of  Education.  Isi 
dore  had  acted  as  agent  and  was  condemned 
as  an  accomplice.  The  father  was  sent  for 
and  the  trio  were  expelled. 

Then  deep  was  the  grief  of  Miss  Bailey, 
and  wild  was  the  wailing  of  Mr.  Diamant- 
stein.  He  tore  his  hair,  he  clung  to  the  hem 
of  Miss  Bailey's  garment  and  he  noted  inci 
dentally  that  it  was  of  "  all  from  wool  goods," 
he  cast  his  cherished  derby  upon  the  floor 
and  himself  upon  her  protection. 

"Say,  Missis  Pailey,"  he  implored,  "you 
do  me  the  favour  ?  You  go  on  the  Brincipal 
[182] 


WHEN    A   MAN'S   WIDOWED 

und  you  say  like  that :  '  I  give  him  five  dollars, 
maybe,  so  he  don't  egspell  them  devil  poys.' ' 

"But  he  must,"  Teacher  answered  sadly. 
"It  is  the  law.  They  must  be  expelled. 
But  oh,  Mr.  Diamantstein,  won't  you  try  to 
take  care  of  Isidore  ?" 

"Say,  Missis  Pailey,"  Mr.  Diamantstein 
recommenced,  "you  do  me  the  favour  ?  You 
go  on  the  Brincipal  und  you  say  like  that: 
'I  give  him  five  dollars,  maybe,  so  he  don't 
egspell  the  boys  till  the  month.'  It  makes 
mit  me  then  nothings." 

'You  won't  mind  at  the  end  of  the 
mtmth?"  exclaimed  Miss  Bailey.  "Why 
not?" 

"Well,"  said  the  lover  tenderly,  "it's  over 

that  beautiful  yonge  lady.     She's  awful  easy 

scared !  awful  easy !     Und  sooner  she  knows 

them  boys  is  egspell  she  don't  marry  no  more 

[183] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

mil  me.  On'y  by  the  month  she  will  be 
married  already  und  nothings  makes  then 
nothings.  Say,  I  gives  you  too,  maybe,  a 
nice  present  so  you  says  like  that  on  the 
Brincipal." 

But  Mr.  Diamantstein's  lavish  promises 
could  avail  nothing  and  the  boys  were 
doomed.  Time  passed  and  Isidore's  place 
in  Miss  Bailey's  kingdom  was  taken  by  an 
other  American  citizen  in  the  making,  and 
the  incident  seemed  closed. 

On  an  afternoon  in  the  first  week  of  Feb 
ruary,  Miss  Bailey,  Nathan  Spiderwitz,  and 
Morris  Mogilewsky  were  busily  putting 
Room  18  to  rights,  when  a  small  boy,  in  an 
elaborate  sailor  costume,  appeared  before 
them.  He  was  spotlessly  clean  and  the 
handkerchief  in  the  pocket  of  his  blouse  was 
dazzling  in  its  white  abundance.  Upon  his 
[184] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

brow,  soap-polished  until  it  shone,  there  lay 
two  smooth  and  sticky  curves  of  auburn  hair, 
and  on  his  face  there  played  a  smile  of  happy 
recognition  and  repressed  pride. 

Miss  Bailey  and  her  ministers  stood  at 
gaze  until  the  new  comer,  with  a  glad  cry  of 
"  Teacher,  oh,  mine  Teacher,"  threw  him 
self  upon  the  lady,  and  then  surprise  gave 
place  to  joy. 

"Isidore,  my  dear  boy;  I'm  so  glad  to  see 
you!  And  how  beautiful  you  look!"  cried 
Teacher. 

"Beautiful  and  stylish,"  said  Morris  gen 
erously.  "  Sinkers  on  the  necks  und  sleeves 
is  stylish  for  boys,"  and  he  gazed  longingly 
at  the  neatly  embroidered  anchors  which 
adorned  the  sailor  suit. 

"Oh,  yes;  suits  mit  sinkers  is  awful  styl 
ish.  They  could  to  cost  three  dollars.  I 
[185] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

seen  'em  on  Grand  Street,"  said  Nathan, 
and  Isidore's  heart  beat  high  beneath  the 
"sinker"  on  his  breast. 

When  the  first  transports  of  joy  over  the 
reunion  had  abated,  Isidore  explained  his 
presence  and  his  appearance. 

"My  mamma,"  he  began  proudly,  "she 
sets  by  the  Principal's  side  und  he  says,  like 
that,  you  should  come  for  see  my  mamma. 
She's  new." 

Teacher  deftly  patted  her  hair  and  stock 
into  place,  and  set  out  in  great  interest  and 
excitement  to  see  the  "beautiful  yonge  up 
town  lady." 

"  Come,  Isidore,"  she  called. 

"Mine  name  ain't  Isidore,"  he  announced 
"  Und  it  ain't  Issie  neither,  but  it's  awful  styl 
ish.  I  gets  it  off  my  new  mamma.  It's  a 
new  name  too." 

[186] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

"Dear  me,"  cried  Miss  Bailey.  "What 
is  it,  then?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Isidore.  "I 
couldn't  to  say  it  even." 

"Dear  me!"  cried  Miss  Bailey  again,  and 
hurried  on. 

At  the  door  of  the  Principal's  office  Tea 
cher  halted  in  puzzled  surprise,  for  the  first 
glance  at  the  glowing  face  of  the  new  mam 
ma,  and  the  first  sound  of  her  pleasant  voice, 
proclaimed,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt, 
that  Mrs.  Lazarus  Diamantstein  the  second 
was  a  buxom  daughter  of  the  Island  of 
Saints.  The  little  sailor  climbed  upon  her 
lap,  and  the  Principal  introduced  the  matron 
to  the  maid.  Miss  Bailey  said  all  that  eti 
quette  demanded  and  that  interest  p.vompt- 
ed  and  Mrs.  Diamantstein  blushed  pettily. 

"Thank  you  kindly,"  she  anf  /vered, 
[187] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"You're  very  good,  but  I  knew  that  before, 
Larry  —  me  husband,  you  know  —  often 
told  me  how  good  you  were  to  the  child." 

"Ah,  but  you  see,"  said  Teacher,  "I  was 
very  fond  of  Isidore." 

"That's  not  his  name  at  all,  Miss,"  said 
Mrs.  Diamantstein  decidedly.  "That's  a 
haythen  name,  and  so  I'm  going  to  have  him 
christened.  Tell  your  name  to  the  lady, 
allannah." 

Thus  encouraged,  Isidore  toyed  with  a 
diamond  stud,  not  much  larger  than  a  but 
ter-plate,  which  glittered  in  the  new  shirt 
waist  of  his  new  mamma,  and  uttered  a  per 
fectly  unintelligible  string  of  sounds. 

"See    how  well  he   knows  it,"  said  the 

parent    proudly.     "He    says    his    name    is 

Ignatius  Aloysius  Diamantstein.     Think  of 

him  knowing  it  already  and  him  not  chris- 

[188] 


WHEN   A    MAN'S   WIDOWED 

tened  until  next  Sunday!  I'll  have  them  all 
christened  at  once  by  Father  Burke,  over  at 
St.  Mary's,  and  I  came  here  to  ask  you  two 
things.  First,  knowing  the  liking  you  have 
for  the  child,  I  ask  you  will  you  be  god 
mother  to  Ignatius  Aloysius  ?" 

Miss  Bailey  felt  unable  to  cope,  all  unaid 
ed,  with  these  sudden  and  bewildering  chan 
ges.  Isidore  christened  and  Christianized! 
Isidore  her  godchild!  She  sought  inspira 
tion  in  the  Principal,  but  his  shoulders  shook 
with  unsympathetic  mirth,  and  his  face  was 
turned  away.  Left  to  her  own  puzzled 
guidance,  she  answered : 

"Really,  Mrs.  Diamantstein,  you  are  too 
good.  I  have  been  trying  to  take  care  of  — 
of—" 

"Ignatius  Aloysius,"  murmured  the  Prin 
cipal.     :*  Ye  gods,  and  with  that  face!'* 
[  189  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Of  Ignatius,"  continued  Miss  Bailey, 
stifling  a  wild  inclination  towards  unseem 
ly  laughter,  "  and  I  should  be  delighted  to  be 
his  godmother,  but  —  but  — " 

"  Well,  then,  that's  settled,  and  thank  you 
Miss.  And  now  the  other  thing:  Will  you 
take  Ignatius  Aloysius  back  into  your  class  ? 
Larry  told  me  how  them  three  children 
wouldn't  go  to  school  for  the  longest  time 
back,  before  I  was  married.  Gettin'  the 
little  place  ready  for  me,  he  says  they  were, 
and  stayin'  at  home  to  do  it.  The  darlin's ! 
And  lately  I  was  too  busy  with  one  thing  and 
another  to  bring  them  back.  But  now  I've 
got  Denis  and  Michael,  me  other  two  boys, 
entered  over  at  the  Christian  Brothers' 
school.  I  was  goin'  to  send  the  little  fellow 
there  too,  but  he  cried  to  come  to  you. 
Won't  you  take  him  ?" 

[190] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

Miss  Bailey  appealed  to  the  Principal. 
"Please,"  said  she,  "may  I  have  my  godson, 
Ignatius  Aloysius,  in  my  class  ?" 

"I  shall  try  to  arrange  it  so." 

Mrs.  Diamantstein  fixed  grateful  eyes  on 
Teacher.  "You're  a  good  young  lady,"  she 
repeated,  with  deep  conviction.  "  And  if  one 
of  them  was  a  girl  I'd  call  him  after  you. 
May  I  make  so  bold  as  to  ask  your  name  ?" 

"Constance." 

"Well,  now,  that's  grand.  That's  a 
beautiful  name.  Himself  has  two  little  girls 
in  the  orphans'  home  and  I  think  I'll  get  one 
out  and  call  it  that.  But,  maybe,  I  won't. 
But  anyway,  the  first  one  I  get  I'll  call  Con 
stance,  after  you." 

When  Mrs.  Diamantstein  had  taken  her 
decorous  leave  of  the  Principal,  Miss  Bailey 
and  she  walked  to  the  great  front  door.  As 
[191] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

they  reached  it  Mrs.  Diamantstein  reiterated 
her  gratitude  and  added :  '  You'll  be  there 
at  three  o'clock,  won't  you,  Miss  ?  For 
we're  to  have  a  grand  time  at  the  party  after 
the  christening.  Father  Burke  promised  to 
come  home  to  the  little  place  with  us,  and 
Larry  is  goin'  round  HOW  askin'  his  friends. 
And  it's  the  queer  owld  friends  he  has, 
Miss,  the  queerest  ever  I  seen,  and  with  the 
queerest  owld  talk  out  of  them.  But  sure, 
the  little  man  will  enjoy  himself  more  if  he 
has  some  of  his  own  at  the  party." 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  man 
is  asking  his  Jewish  friends  to  a  Catholic 
christening?"  remonstrated  Miss  Bailey, 
who  had  seen  something  of  the  racial  antag 
onism  which  was  rending  all  that  district. 

"Sure,  not  at  all,  Miss,"  answered  Mrs. 
Larry  reassuringly.  "  Do  you  think  I'd  tell 
[192] 


WHEN    A    MAN'S    WIDOWED 

him  what  the  party  was  for  ?  What  does  the 
poor  man  know  about  christenings  ?  and 
him,  God  help  him,  a  haythen  of  a  Jew. 
Make  your  mind  easy,  Miss;  it'll  just  be  a 
party  to  him.  No  more  than  that." 

"But  he  —  all  of  them  —  will  see  Father 
Burke,"  Miss  Bailey  urged. 

"And  who  could  they  see  that  would  do 
them  more  good?"  demanded  Mrs.  Dia- 
mantstein  belligerently.  "Cock  them  up 
then.  It's  not  often  they'd  be  let  into  the 
one  room  with  a  saint  of  a  man  like  that. 
They'll  likely  be  the  better  of  it  for  all  the 
rest  of  their  poor  dark  days." 

Teacher  made  one  more  effort  towards  fair 
play.  "I  think, "she  persisted,  "that  you  ought 
to  tell  your  husband  what  you  intend  to  do.  It 
would  be  dreadful  if,  after  all  your  trouble,  he 
should  not  let  you  change  the  boys'  religion." 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Let,  indeed!"  cried  the  bride  warmly. 
"He  can  wait  to  do  that  until  he's  asked. 
I'd  be  long  sorry  to  have  a  man  like  that 
with  no  bringing  up  of  his  own,  as  you  might 
say,  comin'  between  me  and  me  duty  in 
the  sight  of  God.  'Let,'  is  it?"  And  the 
broad  shoulders  of  Bridget  Diamantstein 
stiffened  while  her  clear  eye  flashed.  "  Well, 
I'm  fond  enough  of  that  little  man,  but  I'd 
break  his  sewin'-machine  and  dance  on  his 
derby  before  I'd  see  him  bring  up  the  darlin's 
for  black  Protestant  Jews  like  himself." 

And  across  the  space  of  many  weeks,  Mr. 
Diamantstein's  voice  rang  again  in  Tea 
cher's  ears:  "She's  a  beautiful  yongc  up 
town  lady,  but  easy  scared.  Oh,  awful 
easy  scared!" 

Well,  love  was  ever  blind. 

[194] 


H.  B,  H.  THE  PRINCE  OP  HESTER  STREET 

"It  will  be  difficult,"  said  Miss  Bailey, 
gently  insubordinate,  "  very  difficult.  I  have 
already  a  register  of  fifty-eight  and  seats 
for  only  fifty.  It  is  late  in  the  term,  too ;  the 
children  read  and  write  quite  easily.  And  you 
say  this  new  boy  has  never  been  at  school  ?" 

"Never,"  admitted  the  Principal.  "His 
people  are  rather  distrustful  of  us.  Some 
religious  prejudice,  I  believe.  They  are  the 
strictest  of  the  strict.  The  grandfather  is  a 
Rabbi  and  has  been  educating  the  boy  —  an 
only  child,  by  the  way." 

"Put   him   in    the   kindergarten,"  Miss 
Bailey  interjected  hopefully. 
[195] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"No,"  answered  the  Principal,  "he's  too 
old  for  that." 

"Then  let  him  wait  until  he  can  enter 
with  the  beginners  in  September.  He  will 
be  really  unhappy  when  he  finds  himself  so 
far  behind  the  others  here." 

"I'm  afraid  I  must  ask  you  to  take  him 
now,"  the  Principal  persisted.  "  His  father, 
the  Assemblyman  for  this  district,  sees  some 
advantage  in  sending  his  boy  to  school  with 
the  children  of  his  supporters.  But,  of 
course,  I  shan't  expect  you  to  bring  the  child 
up  to  the  grade.  Just  let  him  stay  here  and 
be  happy.  If  you  will  send  your  roll-book 
to  my  office  I  will  have  him  entered." 

And  so  it  chanced,  on  an  afternoon  of  early 

March,  that  the  name  of  Isaac  Borrachsohn 

was  added  —  all  unalphabetically  -  -  at  the 

end  of  the  roll-call  of  the  First  Reader  Class, 

[196] 


H.  H,  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREE1 

A  writing  lesson  was  in  progress  on  the 
next  morning  when  the  new  boy  arrived. 
Miss  Bailey,  during  her  six  months'  reign 
over  Room  18,  had  witnessed  many  first  ap 
pearances,  but  never  had  charge  of  hers  been 
borne  into  court  on  such  a  swelling  tide  of 
female  relatives.  The  rather  diminutive 
Teacher  was  engulfed  in  black- jetted  capes, 
twinkling  ear-rings,  befeathered  hats,  warm 
ly  gleaming  faces,  and  many  flounced  skirts, 
while  the  devoted  eyes  of  the  First  Reader 
Class  caught  but  fleeing  glimpses  of  its  sov 
ereign  between  the  red  roses  rising,  quite 
without  visible  support,  above  agitated  bon 
nets. 

Against  this  background  Isaac  glowed 
like  a  bird-of -paradise.  The  writing  lesson 
halted.  Bluntly  pointed  pencils  paused  in 
mid-air  or  between  surprise-parted  lips,  and 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

the  First  Reader  Class  drew  deep  breaths  of 
awe  and  admiration:  for  the  new  boy  wore 
the  brightest  and  tightest  of  red  velvet  Faun- 
tleroy  suits,  the  most  bouffant  of  underlying 
shirts,  the  deepest  of  lace  collars,  the  most 
straightly  cut  of  Anglo-Saxon  coiffures,  the 
most  far-reaching  of  sailor  hats.  Sadie  Go- 
norowsky,  the  haughty  Sadie,  paused  open- 
eyed  in  her  distribution  of  writing  papers. 
Morris  Mogilewsky,  the  gentle  Morris,  ab 
stractedly  bit  off  and  swallowed  a  piece  of 
the  gold-fish  food.  Isidore  Belchatosky,  the 
exquisite  Isidore,  passed  a  stealthy  hand 
over  his  closely  cropped  red  head  and  knew 
that  his  reign  was  over. 

Miss  Bailey  determined,  in  view  of  the 

frightened    expression  in    the  new-comer's 

eyes,  to  forgive  his  inopportune  enlistment. 

At  her  cordial  words  of  welcome  the  alarm 

[198] 


H.  R. H. THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 
spread  from  his  wide  eyes  to  his  trembling 
lips,  and  Teacher  turned  to  the  relatives  to 
ask :  "  Doesn't  he  speak  English  ?  " 

There  ensued  much  babbling  and  gestic 
ulation.  Isaac  was  volubly  reproved,  and 
then  one  of  the  younger  and  befeathered 
aunts  made  answer. 

"Sure  does  he.  Only  he  was  bashful, 
and  when  he  should  get  sooner  over  it  he 
English  just  like  you  speaks.  Just  like  you 
he  speaks.  He  is  a  good  boy.  Where  is  he 
goin'  to  sit  ?  Where  is  his  place  ?  " 

Miss  Bailey  reflected  with  dismay  that 
there  was  not  an  unassigned  desk  in  the 
room.  Fortunately,  however,  Patrick  Bren- 
nan  was  absent  on  that  morning  —  he  was 
"making  the  mission"  at  St.  Mary's  church 
with  his  mother  —  and  his  queer  assortment 
of  string,  buttons,  pencil  stumps,  and  a  mute 
[199] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

and  battered  mouth-organ,  were  swept  into 
a  drawer  of  Teacher's  desk.  Isaac  was 
installed  in  this  hastily  created  vacancy,  the 
gratified  relatives  withdrew,  and  the  writing 
lesson  was  resumed. 

When  Isaac  found  himself  cut  entirely 
away  from  the  maternal  apron-strings,  his 
impulse  was  towards  the  relief  of  tears,  but 
his  wandering  gaze  encountered  the  admir 
ing  eyes  of  Eva  Gonorowsky  and  his  aimless 
hand  came  in  contact  with  the  hidden  store 
of  chewing-gum  with  which  the  absent  Pat 
rick  was  won't  to  refresh  himself,  lightly 
attached  to  the  under  surface  of  the  chair. 
Isaac  promptly  applied  it  to  the  soothing  of 
his  spirits,  and  decided  that  a  school  which 
furnished  such  dark  and  curly  locked  neigh 
bours  and  such  delectable  sustenance  was  a 
pleasant  place.  So  he  accepted  a  long  pen- 
[200] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

cil  from  Sarah  Schrodsky,  and  a  sheet  of 
paper  from  Sadie  Gonorowsky,  and  fell  to 
copying  the  writing  on  the  board. 

While  he  laboured  —  quite  unsuccessfully, 
since  all  his  grandsire's  instructions  had 
been  in  Hebrew  --  Miss  Bailey  passed  from 
desk  to  desk  on  a  tour  of  inspection  and  ex 
hortation,  slightly  annoyed  and  surprised  to 
find  that  the  excitement  consequent  upon 
Isaac  Borrachsohn's  introduction  had  not 
yet  subsided.  Eva  Gonorowsky  was  fla 
grantly  inattentive,  and  Teacher  paused  to 
point  an  accusing  finger  at  the  very  erratic 
markings  which  she  had  achieved. 

"Eva,"  said  she,  "why  do  you  keep  your 
writing  so  very  far  from  the  line  ?" 

"I  ain't  so  big,"  Eva  responded  meekly, 
"und  so  I  makes  mistakes.  I  tells  you 


'sense." 


[201] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

"Honey,"  responded  Miss  Bailey,  her 
wrath  quite  turned  away  by  this  soft  answer, 
"you  could  do  beautifully  if  you  would  only 
look  at  the  board  instead  of  staring  at  the 
new  boy." 

"Yiss  ma' an,"  acquiesced  Eva.  "But, 
oh,  Teacher,  Missis  Bailey,  ain't  he  the 
sweet  dude!" 

"Do  you  think  so?  Well,  you  need  not 
stop  writing  to  look  at  him,  because  you  will 
be  seeing  him  every  day. 

"In  this  class?  Oh,  ain't  that  fine!" 
Eva  whispered.  "My,  ain't  his  mamma 
put  him  on  nice  mit  red-from-plush  suits 
and  stylish  hair-cuts!" 

"Well,  Isidore  Belchatosky  has  a  velvet 
suit,"  said  the  gentle-hearted  Miss  Bailey, 
as  she  noticed  the  miserable  eyes  of  the  de 
posed  beau  travelling  from  his  own  frayed 
[  202  ] 


H.  R.  H  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

sleeve  to  the  scarlet  splendour  across  the 
aisle. 

"But's  it's  black/'  sneered  the  small  co 
quette,  and  Teacher  was  only  just  in  time 
to  snatch  Isidore's  faultless  writing  from  the 
deluge  of  his  bitter  tears. 

When  the  First  Reader  Class  filed  down 
the  yard  for  recess,  Miss  Bailey  was  dis 
gusted  to  find  that  Isaac  Borrachsohn's 
admiring  audience  increased  until  it  in 
cluded  every  boy  in  the  school  young  enough 
to  be  granted  these  twenty  minutes  of  re 
laxation  during  the  long  morning.  He  was 
led  away  to  a  distant  corner,  there  to  re 
ceive  tribute  of  deference,  marbles,  candy, 
tops,  and  political  badges.  But  he  spoke 
no  word.  Silently  and  gravely  he  held 
court.  Gravely  and  silently  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  led  back  to  Room  18.  Still 
[203] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

silently  and  still  gravely  he  went  home  at 
twelve  o'clock. 

At  a  quarter  before  one  on  that  day,  while 
Morris  Mogilewsky  and  Nathan  Spiderwitz. 
Monitors  of  Gold-Fish  and  Window  Boxes, 
were  waiting  dejectedly  for  the  opening  of 
the  school  doors  and  reflecting  that  they 
must  inevitably  find  themselves  supplanted 
in  their  sovereign's  regard  —  for  Teacher, 
though  an  angel,  was  still  a  woman,  and 
therefore  sure  to  prefer  gorgeously  arrayed 
ministers  —  there  entered  to  them  Patrick 
Brennan,  fortified  by  the  morning's  de 
votion,  and  reacting  sharply  against  the 
morning's  restraint. 

"Fellars,"  he  began  jubilantly;  "I  know 
where  we  can  hook  a  banana.  And  the  Gin- 
ney's  asleep.  Come  on ! " 

His  colleagues  looked  at  him  with  lack- 
[204] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREE1 

lustre  eyes.  "I  don't  need  no  bananas," 
said  Morris  dispiritedly.  "They  ain't  so 
awful  healthy  fer  me." 

"  Me  too,"  Nathan  agreed.  "  I  et  six  once 
und  they  made  me  a  sickness." 

"Bananas!"  urged  Patrick.  "Bananas, 
an'  the  man  asleep !  What's  the  matter  with 
ye  anyway?" 

"There's  a  new  boy  in  our  class,"  Morris 
answered.  "Und  he's  a  dude.  Und  Tea 
cher's  lovin'  mit  him." 

"Und  he  sets  in  your  place,"  added  Na 
than. 

"I'll  break  his  face  if  he  tries  it  again," 
cried  Patrick  hotly.  "Who  let  him  sit 
there?" 

"  Teacher,"  wailed  Morris.  "  Ain't  I  tell 
you  how  she's  lovin'  mit  him  ?" 

"  And  where's  all  my  things  ?"  Patrick  de- 
[205] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

manded  with  pardonable  curiosity.  "  Where 
am  I  to  sit?" 

"She  makes  you  should  set  by  her  side/' 
Morris  reassured  him.  "Und  keep  your 
pencil  in  her  desk.  It  could  be  awful  nice 
fer  you.  You  sets  right  by  her." 

"I'll  try  it  for  a  day  or  two,"  said  Patrick 
grandly.  "  I'll  see  how  I'll  like  it." 

For  the  first  hour  he  liked  it  very  well.  It 
was  fun  to  sit  beside  Miss  Bailey,  to  read 
from  her  reader,  to  write  at  her  desk,  to  look 
grandly  down  upon  his  fellows,  and  to  smile 
with  condescension  upon  Eva  Gonorowsky. 
But  when  Teacher  opened  her  book  of  Fairy 
Tales  and  led  the  way  to  the  land  of  magic 
Patrick  discovered  that  the  chewing  gum, 
with  which  he  was  accustomed  to  refresh 
himself  on  these  journeys,  was  gone.  Auto 
matically  he  swept  his  hand  across  the  un- 
[206] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

der  surface  of  his  chair.  It  was  not  there. 
He  searched  the  drawer  in  which  his  treas 
ures  had  been  bestowed.  Nor  there.  He 
glanced  at  the  usurper  in  his  rightful  place, 
and  saw  that  the  jaws  of  Isaac  moved  rhyth 
mically  and  placidly.  Hot  anger  seized, 
Patrick.  He  rose  deliberately  upon  his 
sturdy  legs  and  slapped  the  face  of  that 
sweet  dude  so  exactly  and  with  such  force 
that  the  sound  broke  upon  the  quiet  air  like 
the  crack  of  a  revolver.  Teacher,  followed 
by  the  First  Reader  Class,  rushed  back  from 
Fairy  Land,  and  the  next  few  minutes  were 
devoted  to  separating  the  enraged  Patrick 
from  the  terrified  Isaac,  who,  in  the  excite 
ment  of  the  onslaught,  had  choked  upon  the 
casus  belli,  and  could  make  neither  restitu 
tion  nor  explanation.  When  Isaac  was  re 
duced,  at  the  cost  of  much  time  and  petting 
[207] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

on  Miss  Bailey's  part,  to  that  stage  of 
consolation  in  which  departing  grief  takes 
the  form  of  loud  sobs,  closely  resemb 
ling  hiccoughs  and  as  surprising  to  the 
sufferer  as  to  his  sympathizers,  Patrick 
found  himself  in  universal  disfavour.  The 
eyes  of  the  boys,  always  so  loyal,  were 
cold.  The  eyes  of  the  girls,  always  so  ad 
miring,  were  reproachful.  The  eyes  of 
Miss  Bailey,  always  so  loving,  were  hard 
and  angry.  Teacher  professed  herself  too 
grieved  and  surprised  to  continue  the 
interrupted  story,  and  Patrick  was  held 
responsible  for  the  substitution  of  a  brisk 
mental  arithmetic  test  in  which  he  was  eas 
ily  distanced  by  every  boy  and  girl  in  the 
room.  But  Isaac  was  still  silent.  No  hal 
cyon  suggestion  beginning,  "  Suppose  I  were 
to  give  you  a  dollar  and  you  spent  half  of  it 
[208] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

for  candy,"  no  imaginary  shopping  orgie, 
could  tempt  him  into  speech. 

It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  when  at  last  he 
found  his  voice.  In  an  idle  inspection  of 
his  new  desk  he  came  upon  one  of  those 
combinations  of  a  pen,  a  pencil,  and  an  era 
ser,  which  gladden  the  young  and  aggravate 
the  old.  It  was  one  of  Patrick's  greatest 
treasures  and  had  long  been  Eva's  envious 
desire,  and  now  Patrick,  chained  to  the  side 
of  his  indignant  Teacher,  saw  this  precious, 
delicate,  and  stubborn  mechanism  at  the 
mercy  of  his  clumsy  successor.  Isaac 
wrenched  and  twisted  without  avail;  Pat 
rick's  wrath  grew  dark;  Eva  shyly  proffered 
assistance;  Patrick's  jealousy  flamed  hot. 
And  then,  before  Patrick's  enraged  eyes, 
Eva  and  Isaac  tore  the  combination  of  writ 
ing  implements  to  fragments,  in  their  en- 
[209] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

deavour  to  make  it  yield  a  point.  Patrick 
darted  upon  the  surprised  Isaac  like  an 
avenging  whirlwind,  and  drove  a  knotty  lit 
tle  fist  into  the  centre  of  the  Fauntleroy  cos 
tume.  And  then,  quite  suddenly,  Isaac 
lifted  up  his  voice : 

"Don't  you  dast  to  touch  me,"  he  yelled, 
"you-  -Krishtfool." 

Miss  Bailey  sprang  to  her  feet,  but  before 
she  could  reach  the  offender  he  had  warmed 
to  his  work  and  was  rolling  off  excerpts  from 
remarks  which  he  had  heard  at  his  father's 
club-rooms.  These  were,  of  course,  in  He 
brew,  but  after  much  hissing  and  many  gut 
turals,  he  arrived,  breathless,  at  the  phrase 
as  Anglo-Saxon  as  his  hair: 

-You be-    -!     Goto !" 

Of  all  Miss  Bailey's  rules  for  the  govern 
ment  of  her  kingdom  the  most  stringent  were 
[210] 


"LOOK    AT   YOUR    BACK!' 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

against  blasphemy.  Never  had  her  sub 
jects  seen  their  gentle  lady  so  instinct 
with  wrath  as  she  was  when  holding  the 
wriggling  arm  of  Patrick  with  one  hand 
and  the  red  plush  shoulder  of  Isaac  with 
the  other,  she  resumed  her  place  in  the 
chair  of  authority.  She  leaned  forward 
until  her  eyes,  angry  and  determined, 
were  looking  close  into  Patrick's,  and 
began : 

"You  first.  You  commenced  this  thing. 
Now  listen.  If  you  ever  touch  that  boy 
again  —  I  don't  care  for  what  reason  —  I 
will  whip  you.  Here,  before  the  whole 
class,  I  shall  spank  you.  Do  you  un 
derstand?" 

"Yes,"  said  Patrick. 

"And  now  you,"  turning  quickly  to  Isaac. 
"If  you  ever  again  dare  to  say  bad  words  in 
[211] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

this  room  I  shall  wash  out  the  mouth  you 
soil  in  saying  them.  Do  you  understand  ?" 

Isaac  was  silent. 

"Do  you  understand?"  repeated  Miss 
Bailey.  Isaac  spoke  no  word;  gave  no  sign 
of  comprehension. 

"Morris,"  called  Teacher,  "come  and  tell 
him  that  in  Jewish  for  me,"  and  Morris, 
with  many  halts  and  shy  recoilings,  whis 
pered  a  few  words  into  the  ear  of  Isaac,  who 
remonstrated  volubly. 

"He  says  he  ain't  said  no  bad  word,"  the 
interpreter  explained.  "His  papa  says  like 
that  on  his  mamma,  and  his  mamma  says 
like  that  on  his  papa.  Fer  him,  that  ain't 
no  bad  word." 

"  It  is  a  bad  word  here,"  said  Teacher  in 
exorably.  "Tell  him  I'll  wash  out  his 
mouth  if  he  says  it  again." 


H.  R.  H    THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

Miss  Bailey  was  so  ruffled  and  disgusted 
by  the  course  of  events  that  she  allowed  only 
the  Monitor  of  the  Gold-Fish  Bowl  to  stay 
with  her  after  school  that  afternoon.  When 
readers  were  counted  and  put  upon  shelves, 
charts  furled,  paint  brushes  washed,  pencils 
sharpened,  and  blackboards  cleaned,  Morris 
pressed  close  to  his  lady  and  whispered: 

"Say,  Teacher,  I  should  tell  you  some 
things." 

"Well,  then,  old  man,  tell  it." 

"Teacher,  it's  like  this;  I  ain't  tell  Ikey, 
out  of  Jewish,  how  you  says  you  should  wash 
out  his  mouth." 

"You  didn't  tell  him?  And  why  not, 
pray?" 

"Well,"  and  Morris's  tone,  though  apolo 
getic,  was  self-righteous,  "I  guess  you  don't 
know  about  Ikey  Borrachsohn." 
[213] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"I  know  he  said  two  very  bad  things. 
Of  course,  I  did  not  understand  the  Jewish 
part.  What  did  he  say  ?  Did  you  know  ?" 

"Sure  did  I,  on'y  I  wouldn't  to  tell  it  out. 
It  ain't  fer  you.  It  ain't  no  fer-ladies 
word." 

Miss  Bailey  patted  her  small  knight's 
hand.  "Thank  you,  Morris,"  she  said 
simply.  "  And  so  it  was  bad  ?  " 

"Fierce." 

"Very  well;  I  shall  ask  some  other  boy  to 
tell  him  that  I  shall  wash  out  his  mouth." 

"  Well,"  Morris  began  as  before,  "  I  guess 
you  don't  know  'bout  Isaac  Borrachsohn. 
You  dassent  to  wash  out  his  mouth,  'cause 
his  grandpa's  a  Rabbi." 

"I  know  he  is.  Is  that  any  reason  for 
Isaac's  swearing  ?" 

"His  papa,"   Morris  began  hran  awed 
[214] 


H. R. H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

whisper,  "his  papa's  the  King  of  Hester 
Street." 

"Well,"  responded  Teacher  calmly,  "that 
makes  no  difference  to  me.  No  one  may 
swear  in  this  room.  And  now,  Morris, 
you  must  run  home.  Your  mother  will  be 
wondering  where  you  are." 

Three  minutes  later  Morris's  dark  head 
reappeared.  His  air  was  deeply  confiden 
tial.  "Teacher,  Missis  Bailey,"  he  began, 
"I  tells  you  'scuse." 

"Well,  dear,  what  is  it  ?"  asked  Miss  Bai 
ley  with  divided  interest,  as  she  adjusted  a 
very  large  hat  with  the  guidance  of  a  very 
small  looking-glass .  ' '  What  do  you  want  ? ' ' 

Again  Morris  hesitated.  "I  guess,"  he 
faltered;  "I  guess  you  don't  know  'bout 
Isaac  Borrachsohn." 

"What  has  happened  to  him  ?  Is  he  hurt  ?  " 
[215] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

"It's  his  papa.  Ain't  I  told  you  he's  the 
King  of  Hester  Street  und  he's  got  dancing 
balls.  My  mamma  und  all  the  ladies  on  our 
block  they  puts  them  on  stylish  und  goes  on 
the  ball.  Und  ain't  you  see  how  he's  got  a 
stylish  mamma  mil  di'monds  on  the  hair?" 

"Yes,"  admitted  Miss  Bailey,  "I  saw  the 
diamonds."  Not  to  have  seen  the  paste 
buckle  which  menaced  Mrs.  Borrachsohn's 
left  eye  would  have  been  to  be  blind  indeed. 

"Und  extra,  you  says  you  should  wash  out 
his  mouth,"  Morris  remonstrated.  "I 
guess,  maybe,  you  fools." 

"You'll  see,"  said  Miss  Bailey  blithely. 
"And  now  trot  along,  my  dear.  Good  af 
ternoon." 

Teacher  hurried  into  her  jacket  and  was 
buttoning  her  gloves  when  the  Monitor  of 
the  Gold-Fish  Bowl  looked  timidly  in. 
[216] 


H.  R. H. THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

"  What  now  ?  "  asked  Teacher. 

"Well,"  said  Morris,  and  breathed  hard, 
"I  guess  you  don't  know  'bout  Isaac  Bor- 
rachsohn." 

Miss  Bailey  fell  away  into  helpless  laugh 
ter.  "  That  would  not  be  your  fault,  honey, 
even  if  it  were  true,"  she  said.  "But  what 
has  he  been  doing  since  I  saw  you  ?" 

"It's  his  papa,"  answered  Morris.  "His 
papa's  got  p'rades." 

"He  has  what?" 

"P'rades." 

"  And  are  they  very  bad  ?  I  never  heard 
of  them." 

"You  don't  know  what  is  p'rades?" 
cried  Morris.  "Won't  your  mamma  leave 
you  see  them?" 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  Teacher.  "  Did 
you  ever  see  them  ?" 

[217] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Sure  I  seen  p'rades.  My  papa  he  takes 
me  in  his  hand  und  I  stands  by  the  curb  und 
looks  on  the  p'rade.  It  goes  by  night. 
Comes  mans  und  comes  cops  und  comes 
George  Wash'ton  und  comes  Ikey  Borrach- 
sohn's  papa,  mit  proud  looks  —  he  makes 
polite  bows  mit  his  head  on  all  the  peoples, 
und  comes  Teddy  Rosenfelt.  Und  comes 
cows  und  more  cops  und  ladies  und  el'fints, 
und  comes  Captain  Dreyfus  und  Terry 
McGovern.  Und  comes  mans,  und  mans,  und 
mans  —  a  great  big  all  of  mans  —  und  they 
says :  *  What's  the  matter  with  Ikey  Borrach- 
sohn's  papa?' — he  ain't  got  no  sickness, 
Miss  Bailey,  on'y  it's  polite  you  say  like  that 
on  p'rades.  Und  more  mans  they  says: 
'Nothings  is  mit  him.  He's  all  right!'  That 
is  what  is  p'rades.  Ikey's  papa's  got  them, 
und  so  you  dassent  to  wash  out  his  mouth." 
[218] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

"One  more  bad  word,"  was  Teacher's 
ultimatum;  "one  more  and  then  I'll 
do  it." 

Miss  Bailey's  commands  were  not  lightly 
disregarded,  and  Patrick  Brennan  spent  the 
ensuing  week  in  vain  endeavour  to  reconcile 
himself  to  a  condition  of  things  in  which  he, 
the  first  born  of  the  policeman  on  the  beat, 
and  therefore  by  right  of  heredity  a  person  of 
importance  in  the  realm,  should  tamely  sub 
mit  to  usurpation  and  insult  on  the  part  of 
this  mushroom  sprig  of  moneyed  aristocracy, 
this  sissy  kid  in  velvet  pants,  this  long-haired 
dummy  of  an  Isaac  Borrachsohn.  Teacher 
could  not  have  meant  to  cut  him  off  from  all 
hope  of  vengeance.  If  she  had  —  then  she 
must  be  shown  that  the  honour  of  the  house 
of  Brennan  was  a  thing  beyond  even  her 
jurisdiction.  A  Brennan  had  been  insulted 
[  219  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

in  his  person  and  in  his  property.    Of  course, 
he  must  have  satisfaction. 

If  Morris  could  have  known  that  Patrick, 
of  whom  he  was  so  fond,  was  plotting  evil 
against  the  heir-apparent  to  the  throne  of 
Hester  Street,  he  might  have  persuaded  that 
scion  of  the  royal  house  of  Munster  to  stay 
his  hand.  But  the  advice  of  Patrick  perc 
had  always  been :  "  Lay  low  until  you  see  a 
good  chanst,  an'  then  sock  it  to  'em  good 
and  plenty."  So  Patrick  fils  bided  his  time 
and  continued  to  "make  the  mission"  with 
his  pious  mother. 

After  his  initial  speech  in  his  English,  so 
like  Miss  Bailey's,  Isaac  Borrachsohn  re 
sumed  his  cloak  of  silence  and  spoke  no  more 
of  the  language  of  the  land.  Even  in  his  own 
tongue  he  was  far  from  garrulous.  And  yei 
his  prestige  continued  to  increase,  his  cos 
[220] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

tumes  grew  ever  more  gorgeous,  and  his 
slaves  —  both  male  and  female  —  daily  more 
numerous.  In  reading  and  in  "Memory 
Gems"  his  progress  was,  under  the  veil  of 
speechlessness,  imperceptible,  but  in  writing 
and  in  all  the  prescribed  branches  of  Manual 
Training  he  acquired  a  proficiency  which 
made  it  impossible  to  return  him  to  his  royal 
sire.  Gradually  it  was  borne  in  upon  Miss 
Bailey  that  she  had  met  her  Waterloo  —  a 
child  who  would  have  none  of  her.  All  her 
attempts  at  friendliness  were  met  by  the 
same  stolid  silence,  the  same  impersonal 
regard,  until  in  desperation,  she  essayed  a 
small  store  of  German  phrases,  relics  of  her 
sophomore  days.  Six  faulty  sentences,  with 
only  the  most  remote  bearing  upon  the  sub 
ject  in  hand,  were  more  efficacious  than  vol 
umes  of  applied  psychology,  and  the  reserve 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

of  Isaac  Borrachsohn  vanished  before  the 
rising  conviction  that  Teacher  belonged  to 
his  own  race.  How  otherwise,  he  demand 
ed,  could  she  speak  such  beautiful  Hebrew  ? 
When  Morris  translated  this  tribute  to 
Patrick,  a  flame  of  anger  and  of  hope  lit  up 
that  Celtic  soul.  Such  an  accusation  brought 
against  Miss  Bailey,  whom  he  had  heard 
his  noble  father  describe  as  "one  of  our 
selves,  God  bless  her!"  was  bitter  to  hear, 
but  the  Knight  of  Munster  comforted  him 
self  with  the  conviction  that  Teacher  would 
no  longer  shield  the  sissy  from  the  retribu 
tion  he  now  had  doubly  earned.  But  it 
should  be  a  retribution  fitted  to  the  offender 
and  in  proportion  to  the  offence.  Long  ex 
perience  of  Jewish  playfellows  had  taught 
Patrick  a  revenge  more  fiendish  than  a  beat 
ing,  a  ducking,  a  persecution  by  "de  gang/' 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

or  a  confiscation  of  goods  and  treasures. 
All  of  these  were  possible  and  hard  to  bear, 
but  for  Isaac's  case  something  worse  was 
needed.  He  should  be  branded  with  a  cross ! 
Fortune,  after  weeks  of  frowning,  was 
with  Patrick  on  that  warm  April  afternoon. 
Isaac  was  attired  in  a  white  linen  costume 
so  short  of  stocking  and  of  knickerbockers 
as  to  exhibit  surprising  area  of  fat  leg,  so 
fashionable  in  its  tout  ensemble  as  to  cause 
Isidore  Belchatosky  to  weep  aloud,  so  spot 
less  as  to  prompt  Miss  Bailey  to  shield  it 
with  her  own  "from  silk"  apron  when  the 
painting  lesson  commenced.  Patrick  Bren- 
nan  had  obeyed  his  father's  injunction  to 
"lay  low"  so  carefully  that  Teacher  granted 
a  smiling  assent  to  his  plea  to  be  allowed  to 
occupy  the  place,  which  chanced  to  be  empty, 
immediately  behind  Isaac's. 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

On  each  little  desk  Miss  Bailey,  assisted 
by  her  whole  corps  of  monitors,  placed  a 
sheet  of  drawing  paper,  a  little  pan  contain 
ing  India  ink  dissolved  in  water,  and  a  fat 
Japanese  paint  brush.  The  class  was  de 
lighted,  for,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
singing,  there  was  no  more  popular  occupa 
tion.  Briskly  the  First  Reader  Class  fell  to 
work.  Carefully  they  dipped  brushes  in 
ink.  Bravely  they  commenced  to  draw. 
Teacher  passed  from  desk  to  desk  encourag 
ing  the  timid,  restraining  the  rash. 

Patrick  dug  his  brush  deep  down  into  his 
ink,  lifted  it  all  wet  and  dripping,  cast  a  fur 
tive  glance  at  Teacher's  averted  head,  and 
set  stealthily  to  work  at  the  bent  and  defence 
less  back  of  Isaac  Borrachsohn's  spotless 
suit.  From  shoulder  to  shoulder  he  drew  a 
thick  black  mark.  Then  another  from 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

straight  cropped  hair  to  patent  leather  belt. 
Mrs.  Borrachsohn  belonged  to  the  school  of 
mothers  who  believed  in  winter  underwear 
until  the  first  of  June,  and  Isaac  felt  nothing. 
But  Eva  Gonorowsky  saw  and  shuddered, 
hiding  her  eyes  from  the  symbol  and  the  des 
ecration.  Patrick  glowered  at  her,  filled 
his  brush  again,  bent  quickly  down,  and 
branded  the  bare  and  mottled  legs  of  his  en 
emy  with  two  neatly  crossed  strokes. 

In  an  instant  the  room  was  in  an  uproar. 
Patrick,  his  face  and  hands  daubed  with 
ink,  was  executing  a  triumphant  war-dance 
around  Isaac,  who,  livid  and  inarticulate  with 
rage,  was  alternately  struggling  for  words 
and  making  wondrous  Delsartean  attempts 
to  see  his  outraged  back. 

"I  socked  it  to  you  good  and  plenty!" 
chanted  Patrick  in  shrill  victory.  "Look 
[225] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

at  your  back!  Look  at  your  leg!  It's  ink! 
It  won't  come  off!  It  will  never  come  off! 
Look  at  your  back!" 

Miss  Bailey  clanged  the  bell,  caught  Pat 
rick  by  the  waist-line,  thrust  him  under  her 
desk,  fenced  him  in  with  a  chair,  and  turned 
to  Isaac  who  had  only  just  realized  the  full 
horror  of  his  plight.  Isidore  Belchatosky 
and  Eva  Gonorowsky  had  torn  off  the  white 
tunic  —  thereby  disclosing  quantities  of  red 
flannel  —  and  exhibited  its  desecrated  back. 
And  speech,  English  speech  returned  to  the 
Prince  of  Hester  Street.  Haltingly  at  first, 
but  with  growing  fluency  he  cursed  and 
swore  and  blasphemed;  using  words  of 
whose  existence  Teacher  had  never  heard  or 
known  and  at  whose  meaning  she  could  but 
faintly  guess.  Eva  began  to  whimper;  Na 
than  lifted  shocked  eyes  to  Teacher;  Patrick 
[226] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

kicked  away  the  barricading  chair  and,  still 
armed  with  the  inky  brush,  sprang  into  the 
arena,  and  it  was  not  until  five  minutes  later 
that  gent  e  peace  settled  down  on  Room  18. 

Miss  Bailey  had  received  full  parental  au 
thority  from  the  policeman  on  the  beat  and 
she  felt  that  the  time  for  its  exercise  had  some. 

"  Patrick,"  she  commanded.  "  Position !" 
And  the  Leader  of  the  Line  stood  forth 
stripped  of  his  rank  and  his  followers,  but 
not  of  his  dauntless  bearing. 

Teacher,  with  a  heavy  heart,  selected  the 
longest  and  lightest  of  her  rulers  and  the 
review  continued. 

"Hips  firm!"  was  the  next  command,  and 
Patrick's  grimy  hands  sprang  to  his  hips. 

"  Trunk  forward  —  bend ! "  Patrick  dou 
bled  like  a  jack-knife  and  Miss  Bailey  did 
her  duty. 

[227] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

When  it  was  over  she  was  more  distressed 
than  was  her  victim.  "Patrick,  I'm  so  sorry 
this  happened,"  said  she.  "But  you  re 
member  that  I  warned  you  that  I  should 
whip  you  if  you  touched  Isaac.  Well,  you 
did  and  I  did.  You  know  —  all  the  chil 
dren  know  —  that  I  always  keep  my  word." 

"Yiss  ma'an,"  murmured  the  frightened 
First  Reader  Class. 

"Always  ?"  asked  Patrick. 

"Always,"  said  Miss  Bailey. 

"Then  wash  out  his  mouth,"  said  Pat 
rick,  pointing  to  the  gloating  Isaac,  who 
promptly  ceased  from  gloating. 

"Oh,  that  reminds  me,"  cried  Teacher, 
"of  something  I  want  you  to  do.  Will  you 
tell  Isaac  you  are  sorry  for  spoiling  his  new 
suit?" 

"  Sure,"  answered  Patrick  readily.  "  Say, 
[228] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREEI 

Isaac,  I'm  sorry.  Come  and  git  your  mouth 
washed." 

"Well,"  Miss  Bailey  temporized,  "his 
clothes  are  ruined.  Don't  you  think  you 
could  forgive  him  without  the  washing  ?" 

"Sure,"  answered  Patrick  again.  "Ain't 
it  too  bad  that  you  can't,  too !  But  you  said 
it  and  now  you've  got  to  do  it.  Like  you 
did  about  me,  you  know.  Where's  the 
basin?  I'll  fill  it." 

Teacher  was  fairly  trapped,  but,  remem 
bering  that  Isaac's  provocation  had  been 
great,  she  determined  to  make  the  ordeal  as 
bearable  as  possible.  She  sent  for  some 
water,  selected  a  piece  of  appetizing  rose 
pink  soap,  a  relic  of  her  Christmas  store, 
and  called  Isaac,  who,  when  he  guessed  the 
portent  of  all  these  preliminaries,  suffered  a 
shocking  relapse  into  English.  Nerved  by 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

this  latest  exhibition,  Miss  Bailey  was  deaf 
to  the  wails  of  Isaac  and  unyielding  to  the 
prayers  and  warnings  of  Morris  and  to  the 
frantic  sympathy  of  Eva  Gonorowsky. 

"Soap  ain't  fer  us,"  Morris  cried.  "It 
ain't  fer  us.  We  don't  ever  make  like  you 
makes  mit  soap!" 

"  I  noticed  that,"  said  Teacher  dryly.  "  I 
really  think  you  are  afraid  of  soap  and  water. 
When  I  finish  with  Isaac  you  will  all  see  how 
good  it  is  for  boys  and  girls  to  be  washed." 

"But  not  in  the  mouth!  Oh,  Missis 
Bailey,  soap  in  the  mouth  ain't  fer  us." 

"Nonsense,  honey,"  answered  Teacher; 
"  it  will  only  clean  his  teeth  and  help  him  to 
remember  not  to  say  nasty  words."  And, 
all  unaware  of  the  laws  of  "kosher"  and  of 
"traef,"  the  distinctions  between  clean  and 
unclean,  quite  as  rigorous  as,  and  much 
[230] 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

more  complicated  than,  her  own,  Constance 
Bailey  washed  out  the  mouth  of  her  royal 
charge,  and,  it  being  then  three  o'clock,  dis 
missed  her  awed  subjects  and  went  serenely 
home. 

On  his  progress  towards  the  palace  of  his 
sire,  Isaac  Borrachsohn,  with  Christian  sym 
bols  printed  large  upon  his  person,  alienated 
nine  loyal  Hebrew  votes  from  his  father's 
party  and  collected  a  following  of  small  boys 
which  nearly  blocked  the  narrow  streets. 
The  crosses  were  bad  enough,  but  when  it 
was  made  clear  that  the  contamination,  in 
the  form  of  bright  pink  soap,  had  penetrated 
to  the  innermost  recesses  of  the  heir  of  the 
Barrachsohns,  the  aunts,  in  frozen  horror, 
turned  for  succour  and  advice  to  the  Rabbi. 
But  he  could  only  confirm  their  worst  fears. 
"Soap,"  said  he,  "is  from  the  fat  of  pigs. 
[231] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

Our  boy  is  defiled.  To-morrow  he  must  be 
purified  at  the  synagogue.  I  told  you  it  was 
a  Christian  school." 

Then  did  the  Assemblyman  quail  before 
the  reproach  of  his  women.  Then  did  he  bite 
his  nails  in  indecision  and  remorse  and  swear 
to  be  revenged  upon  the  woman  who  had 
dared  so  to  pollute  his  son.  Then  did  Isaac 
weep  continuously,  noisily,  but  ineffectually 
for,  on  the  morrow,  to  the  synagogue  he  went. 

Miss  Bailey,  when  she  saw  that  he  was 
absent,  was  mildly  self-reproachful  and  un 
easy.  If  she  could  have  known  of  the  long 
and  complicated  rites  and  services  which 
she  had  brought  upon  the  boy  who  had  been 
entrusted  to  her  to  be  kept  happy  and  out  of 
mischief,  she  might  not  have  listened  so 
serenely  to  the  janitor's  announcement  two 
days  later. 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

"Borrachsohn  and  a  whole  push  of  wom 
en,  and  an  old  bird  with  a  beard,  are  waitin' 
for  you  in  the  boys'  yard,"  he  whispered  with 
great  empressement.  "I  sent  them  there," 
he  explained,  "because  they  wouldn't  fit 
anywhere  else.  There's  about  a  hundred 
of  them." 

Mr.  Borrachson's  opening  remark  showed 
that  the  force  of  Isaac's  speech  was  heredi 
tary.  "Are  you  the  young 

woman  who's  been  playing  such  fool 
tricks  with  my  son?  You'll  wish  you 

minded  your  own  business  before 

I  get  through  with  you." 

The  belligerent  attitude  was  reflected  by 
the  phalanx  of  female  relatives,  whose  red 
roses  waved  in  defiance  now,  as  they  had 
nodded  in  amity  a  few  short  weeks  before. 
For  an  instant  Teacher  did  not  grasp  the  full 
[233] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

meaning  of  Mr.  Borrachsohn's  greeting. 
Then  suddenly  she  realized  that  this  man, 
this  trafficker  in  the  blood  and  the  honour  of 
his  people,  had  dared  to  swear  at  her,  Con 
stance  Bailey.  When  her  eyes  met  those  of 
the  Assemblyman  he  started  slightly,  and 
placed  Isaac  between  him  and  this  alarming 
young  person  who  seemed  not  at  all  to 
realize  that  he  could  "break  her"  with  a 
word. 

"Is  this  your  child?"  she  demanded. 
And  he  found  himself  answering  meekly : 

"Yesma'an." 

"Then  take  him  away,"  she  commanded. 
"He  is  not  fit  to  be  with  decent  children.  I 
refuse  to  teach  him." 

"You  can't  refuse,"  said  Mr.  Borrach- 
sohn.  "It  is  the  law—" 

"Law!"  repeated  Teacher.  "What  is 
[234] 


m 


MORRIS     WOGILEWSKY 


H.  R.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

the  law  to  you?"  She  was  an  open-eyed 
young  person;  she  had  spent  some  months 
in  Mr.  Borrachsohn's  district;  she  had  a 
nasty  energy  of  phrase;  and  the  King  of 
Hester  Street  has  never  translated  the  en 
suing  remarks  to  the  wife  of  his  bosom  nor  to 
the  gentle-eyed  old  Rabbi  who  watched, 
greatly  puzzled  by  his  ideal  of  a  Christian 
persecutor  and  this  very  different  reality. 
Gradually  the  relatives  saw  that  the  accuser 
had  become  the  accused,  but  they  were 
hardly  prepared  to  see  him  supplicating  and 
even  unsuccessfully. 

"No,  I  won't  take  him.  I  tell  you  his 
language  is  awful.  I  can't  let  the  other 
children  hear  him." 

"But  I  shall  see  that  he  swears  no  more. 
We  taught  him  for  a  joke.  I'll  stop  him." 

"I'm  afraid  you  can't." 
[235] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Well,  you  try  him.     Try  him  for  two 
weeks.     He  is  a  good  boy;  he  will  swear  no 


more." 


"Very  well,"  was  Teacher's  ungracious 
acquiescence;  "I  shall  try  him  again.  And 
if  he  should  swear  — " 

:<  You  will  not  wash  out  his  mouth  — " 

"I  shall,  and  this  time  I  shall  use  hot 
water  and  sapolio  and  washing  soda." 

Mr.  Borrachsohn  smiled  blandly  and 
turned  to  explain  this  dictum  to  his  clan. 
And  the  dazed  Miss  Bailey  saw  the  anger 
and  antagonism  die  out  of  the  faces  before 
her  and  the  roses  above  them,  heard  Mr. 
Borrachsohn's  gentle,  "We  would  be  much 
obliged  if  you  will  so  much  accommodate 
us,"  saw  the  Rabbi  lift  grateful  eyes  to  the 
ceiling  and  clasp  his  hands,  saw  Mrs.  Bor 
rachsohn  brush  away  a  tear  of  joy,  and  felt 
[236] 


H.  R. H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  HESTER  STREET 

Isaac's  soft  and  damp  little  palm  placed 
within  her  own  by  the  hand  of  his  royal  sire, 
saw  the  jetted  capes,  the  flounced  skirts,  and 
befeathered  hats  follow  the  blue  and  brass 
buttons  of  the  janitor,  the  broadcloth  of 
the  Assemblyman  and  the  alpaca  of  the 
Rabbi,  heard  the  door  close  with  a  tri 
umphant  bang,  saw  the  beaming  face  of  the 
returning  janitor,  and  heard  his  speech  of 
congratulation : 

"I  heard  it  all;  I  was  afraid  to  leave  you 
alone  with  them.  Will  you  excuse  me,  Miss 
Bailey,  if  I  just  pass  the  remark  that  you're  a 
living  wonder  ?" 

Still  densely  puzzled  and  pondering  as  to 
whether  she  could  hope  ever  to  understand 
these  people,  she  sought  the  Principal  and 
told  him  the  whole  story.  "  And  now  why," 
she  asked,  "did  he  make  such  a  fuss  about 
[237] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

the  washing  only  to  yield  without  a  struggle 
at  the  end?" 

The  Principal  laughed.  "You  are  mis 
taken,"  said  he.  "Mr.  Borrachsohn  gained 
his  point  and  you  most  gracefully  capitu 
lated." 

"I,"  cried  Teacher;  "I  yield  to  that  hor 
rid  man!  Never!  I  said  I  should  use  soda 
and  sapolio  - 

"Precisely,"  the  Principal  acquiesced. 
"And  both  soda  and  sapolio  are  kosher - 
lawful,  clean.  Miss  Bailey,  oh,  Miss  Bailey, 
you  can  never  be  haughty  and  lofty  again, 
for  you  met '  that  horrid  man '  in  open  battle 
and  went  weakly  down  before  him." 


[238J 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

Isaac  Borrachsohn,  that  son  of  potentates 
and  of  Assemblymen,  had  been  taken  to  Cen 
tral  Park  by  a  proud  uncle.  For  weeks 
thereafter  he  was  the  favourite  bard  of  the 
First  Reader  Class  and  an  exceeding  great 
trouble  to  its  sovereign,  Miss  Bailey,  who 
found  him  now  as  garrulous  as  he  had  once 
been  silent.  There  was  no  subject  in  the 
Course  of  Study  to  which  he  could  not  cor 
relate  the  wonders  of  his  journey,  and  Tea 
cher  asked  herself  daily  and  in  vain  whether 
it  were  more  pedagogically  correct  to  en 
courage  "spontaneous  self-expression"  or 
to  insist  upon  "logically  essential  sequence." 
[239] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

But  the  other  members  of  the  class 
suffered  no  such  uncertainty.  They  voted 
solidly  for  spontaneity  in  a  self  which  found 
expression  thus : 

"Und  in  the  Central  Park  stands  a  water 
lake,  und  in  the  water-lake  stands  birds  —  a 
big  all  of  birds  —  und  fishes.  Und  sooner 
you  likes  you  should  come  over  the  water- 
lake  you  calls  a  bird,  und  you  sets  on  the 
bird,  und  the  bird  makes  go  his  legs,  und  you 
comes  over  the  water-lake." 

"They  could  to  be  awful  polite  birds," 
Eva  Gonorowsky  was  beginning  when  Mor 
ris  interrupted  with: 

"  I  had  once  a  auntie  und  she  had  a  bird, 
a  awful  polite  bird;  on'y  sooner  somebody 
calls  him  he  couldn't  to  come  the  while  he 
sets  in  a  cage." 

"Did  he  have  a  rubber  neck?"  Isaac  in* 
[240] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 
quired,  and  Morris  reluctantly  admitted  that 
he  had  not  been  so  blessed. 

"In  the  Central  Park,"  Isaac  went  on, 
"  all  the  birds  is  got  rubber  necks." 

"What  colour  from  birds  be  they?" 
asked  Eva. 

"All  colours.  Blue  und  white  und  red 
und  yellow." 

"Und  green,"  Patrick  Brennan  inter 
jected  determinedly.  "The  green  ones  is 
the  best." 

"Did  you  go  once?"  asked  Isaac,  slightly 
disconcerted. 

"Naw,  but  I  know.  Me  big  brother  told 
me." 

"They  could  to  be  stylish  birds,  too," 
said  Eva  wistfully.  "Stylish  und  polite. 
From  red  und  green  birds  is  awful  stylish 
for  hats." 

[£41] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  But  these  birds  is  big.  Awful  big !  Mans 
could  to  ride  on  'em  und  ladies  und  boys." 

"Und  little  girls,  Ikey?  Ain't  they  fer 
little  girls  ?"  asked  the  only  little  girl  in  the 
group.  And  a  very  small  girl  she  was,  with 
a  softly  gentle  voice  and  darkly  gentle  eyes 
fixed  pleadingly  now  upon  the  bard. 

"Yes,"  answered  Isaac  grudgingly; 
"sooner  they  sets  by  somebody's  side  little 
girls  could  to  go.  But  sooner  nobody  holds 
them  by  the  hand  they  could  to  have  fraids 
over  the  rubber-neck-boat-birds  und  the 
water-lake,  und  the  fishes." 

"What  kind  from  fishes?"  demanded 
Morris  Mogilewsky,  Monitor  of  Miss 
Bailey's  Gold-Fish  Bowl,  with  professional 
interest. 

"From  gold  fishes  und  red  fishes  und 
black  fishes" —  Patrick  stirred  uneasily  and 
[242] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

Isaac  remembered  —  "und  green  fishes; 
the  green  ones  is  the  biggest;  und  blue  fishes 
und  all  kinds  from  fishes.  They  lives  way 
down  in  the  water  the  while  they  have  f raids 
over  the  rubber-neck-boat-birds.  Say,  what 
you  think?  Sooner  a  rubber-neck-boat- 
bird  needs  he  should  eat  he  longs  down  his 
neck  und  eats  a  from-gold  fish." 

"'Out  fryin'  ?"  asks  Eva,  with  an  incred 
ulous  shudder. 

"Yes,  'out  fryin'.  Ain't  I  told  you  little 
girls  could  to  have  fraids  over  'em  ?  Boys 
could  to  have  fraids  too,"  cried  Isaac;  and 
then  spurred  on  by  the  calm  of  his  rival,  he 
added:  "The  rubber-neck-boat-birds  they 
hollers  somethin'  fierce." 

"  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  of  them.    Me  pop's 
a  cop,"  cried  Patrick  stoutly.     "I'd  just  as 
lief  set  on  'em.     I'd  like  to." 
[243] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  Ah,  but  you  ain't  seen  'em,  und  you  ain't 
heard  'em  holler,"  Isaac  retorted. 

"  Well,  I'm  goin'  to.  An'  I'm  goin'  to  see 
the  lions  an'  the  tigers  an'  the  el'phants,  an* 
I'm  goin'  to  ride  on  the  water-lake." 

"Oh,  how  I  likes  I  should  go  too!"  Eva 
broke  out.  O-o-oh,  how  I  likes  I  should 
look  on  them  things !  On'y  I  don't  know  do 
I  need  a  ride  on  somethings  what  hollers.  I 
don't  know  be  they  fer  me." 

"Well,  I'll  take  ye  with  me  if  your  mother 
leaves  you  go,"  said  Patrick  grandly.  "An* 
ye  can  hold  me  hand  if  ye're  scared." 

"  Me  too  ?  "  implored  Morris.  "  Oh,  Pat 
rick,  c'n  I  go  too  ?" 

"I  guess  so,"  answered  the  Leader  of  the 
Line  graciously.  But  he  turned  a  deaf  ear 
to  Isaac  Borrachsohn's  implorings  to  be  al 
lowed  to  join  the  party.  Full  well  did  Pat- 
[244] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

rick  know  of  the  grandeur  of  Isaac's  holiday 
attire  and  the  impressionable  nature  of  Eva's 
soul,  and  gravely  did  he  fear  that  his  own 
Sunday  finery,  albeit  fashioned  from  the 
blue  cloth  and  brass  buttons  of  his  sire, 
might  be  outshone. 

At  Eva's  earnest  request,  Sadie,  her  cousin, 
was  invited,  and  Morris  suggested  that 
the  Monitor  of  the  Window  Boxes  should 
not  be  slighted  by  his  colleagues  of  the  gold 
fish  and  the  line.  So  Nathan  Spiderwitz 
was  raised  to  Alpine  heights  of  anticipation 
by  visions  of  a  window  box  "  as  big  as  blocks 
and  streets,"  where  every  plant,  in  contrast 
to  his  lanky  charges,  bore  innumerable  blos 
soms.  Ignatius  Aloysius  Diamantstein  was 
unanimously  nominated  a  member  of  the 
expedition;  by  Patrick,  because  they  were 
neighbours  at  St.  Mary's  Sunday-school; 
[245] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

by  Morris,  because  they  were  classmates 
under  the  same  Rabbi  at  the  synagogue; 
by  Nathan,  because  Ignatius  Aloysius  was 
a  member  of  the  "Clinton  Street  gang"; 
by  Sadie,  because  he  had  "long  pants 
sailor  suit";  by  Eva,  because  the  others 
wanted  him. 

Eva  reached  home  that  afternoon  ting 
ling  with  anticipation  and  uncertainty. 
What  if  her  mother,  with  one  short  word, 
should  close  forever  the  gates  of  joy  and 
boat-birds  ?  But  Mrs.  Gonorowsky  met 
her  small  daughter's  elaborate  plea  with  the 
simple  question : 

"  Who  pays  you  the  car-fare  ?" 

"Does  it  need  car-fare  to  go  ?  "  faltered  Eva, 

"  Sure  does  it,"  answered  her  mother.     "  I 
don't  know  how  much,  but  some  it  needs 
Who  pays  it?" 

[246] 


THE  LAND   OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

"Patrick  ain't  said." 

"Well,  you  should  better  ask  him,"  Mrs* 
Gonorowsky  advised,  and,  on  the  next 
morning,  Eva  did.  She  thereby  buried  the 
leader  under  the  ruins  of  his  fallen  castle  of 
clouds,  but  he  struggled  through  them  with 
the  suggestion  that  each  of  his  guests  should 
be  her,  or  his,  own  banker. 

"But  ain't  you  got  no  money  't  all?" 
asked  the  guest  of  honour. 

"Not  a  cent,"  responded  the  host.  "But 
I'll  get  it.  How  much  have  you  ?  " 

"  A  penny.     How  much  do  I  need  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     Let's  ask  Miss  Bailey." 

School  had  not  yet  formally  begun  and 
Teacher  was  reading.  She  was  hardly  dis 
turbed  when  the  children  drove  sharp  elbows 
into  her  shoulder  and  her  lap,  and  she  an 
swered  Eva's  —  "  Missis  Bailey  —  oh,  Mis- 
[247] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

sis  Bailey,"  with  an  abstracted  —  "Well 
dear?" 

"Missis  Bailey,  how  much  money  takes 
car-fare  to  the  Central  Park  ?" 

Still  with  divided  attention,  Teacher  re 
plied —  "Five  cents,  honey,"  and  read  on, 
while  Patrick  called  a  meeting  of  his  forces 
and  made  embarrassing  explanations  with 
admirable  tact. 

There  ensued  weeks  of  struggle  and  econ 
omy  for  the  exploring  party,  to  which  had 
been  added  a  chaperon  in  the  large  and  re 
assuring  person  of  Becky  Zalmonowsky,  the 
class  idiot.  Sadie  Gonorowsky's  careful 
mother  had  considered  Patrick  too  immature 
to  bear  the  whole  responsibility,  and  he, 
with  a  guile  which  promised  well  for  his  fu 
ture,  had  complied  with  her  desires  and  pre 
served  his  own  authority  unshaken.  For 
[248] 


THE   LAND   OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

Becky,  poor  child,  though  twelve  years  old 
and  of  an  aspect  eminently  calculated  to  in 
spire  trust  in  those  who  had  never  held 
speech  with  her,  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Reader  Class  only  until  such  time  as  room 
could  be  found  for  her  in  some  of  the  institu 
tions  where  such  unfortunates  are  bestowed. 

Slowly  and  in  diverse  ways  each  of  the 
children  acquired  the  essential  nickel.  Some 
begged,  some  stole,  some  gambled,  some 
bartered,  some  earned,  but  their  greatest 
source  of  income,  Miss  Bailey,  was  denied  to 
them.  For  Patrick  knew  that  she  would 
have  insisted  upon  some  really  efficient  guar 
dian  from  a  higher  class,  and  he  announced 
with  much  heat  that  he  would  not  go  at  all 
under  those  circumstances. 

At  last  the  leader  was  called  upon  to  set  a 
day  and  appointed  a  Saturday  in  late  May. 
[249] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

He  was  disconcerted  to  find  that  only  Igna 
tius  Aloysius  would  travel  on  that  day. 

"It's  holidays,  all  Saturdays,"  Morris  ex 
plained;  "und  we  dassent  to  ride  on  no 


cars." 


"Why  not  ?"  asked  Patrick. 

"It's  law,  the  Rabbi  says,"  Nathan  sup 
plemented.  "I  don't  know  why  is  it;  on'y 
rides  on  holidays  ain't  fer  us." 

"I  guess,"  Eva  sagely  surmised;  "I  guess 
rubber-neck-boat-birds  rides  even  ain't  fer 
us  on  holidays.  But  I  don't  know  do  I  need 
rides  on  birds  what  hollers." 

"You'll  be  all  right,"  Patrick  assured  her. 
"I'm  goin'  to  let  ye  hold  me  hand.  If  ye 
can't  go  on  Saturday,  I'll  take  ye  on  Sun 
day  —  next  Sunday.  Yous  all  must  meet 
me  here  on  the  school  steps.  Bring  yer 
money  and  bring  yer  lunch  too.  It's  a  long 
[250] 


THE  LAND   OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

way  and  ye'll  be  hungry  when  ye  get  there. 
Ye  get  a  terrible  long  ride  for  five  cents." 

"  Does  it  take  all  that  to  get  there  ?  "  asked 
the  practical  Nathan.  "Then  how  are  we 
goin'  to  get  back  ?  " 

Poor  little  poet  soul !  Celtic  and  improv 
ident!  Patrick's  visions  had  shown  him 
only  the  triumphant  arrival  of  his  host  and 
the  beatific  joy  of  Eva  as  she  floated  by  his 
side  on  the  most  "  fancy  "  of  boat-birds.  Of 
the  return  journey  he  had  taken  no  thought. 
And  so  the  saving  and  planning  had  to  be 
done  all  over  again.  The  struggle  for  the 
first  nickel  had  been  wearing  and  wearying, 
but  the  amassment  of  the  second  was  be 
yond  description  difficult.  The  children 
were  worn  from  long  strife  and  many  sacri 
fices,  for  the  temptations  to  spend  six  or  nine 
cents  are  so  much  more  insistent  and  un- 
[251] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

usual  than  are  yearnings  to  squander  lesser 
sums.  Almost  daily  some  member  of  the 
band  would  confess  a  fall  from  grace  and  sol 
vency,  and  almost  daily  Isaac  Borrachsohn 
was  called  upon  to  descant  anew  upon  the 
glories  of  the  Central  Park.  Becky,  the 
chaperon,  was  the  most  desultory  collector 
of  the  party.  Over  and  over  she  reached 
the  proud  heights  of  seven  or  even  eight  cents 
only  to  lavish  her  horde  on  the  sticky  joys  of 
the  candy  cart  of  Isidore  Belchatosky's 
papa  or  on  the  suddy  charms  of  a  straw 
berry  soda. 

Then  tearfully  would  she  repent  of  her 
folly,  and  bitterly  would  the  others  upbraid 
her,  telling  again  of  the  joys  and  wonders 
she  had  squandered.  Then  loudly  would 
she  bewail  her  weakness  and  plead  in  ex 
tenuation:  "I  seen  the  candy.  Mouses 
[2521 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

from  choc'late  und  Foxy  Gran'pas  from 
sugar  —  und  I  ain't  never  seen  no  Central 
Park." 

"But  don't  you  know  how  Isaac  says?" 
Eva  would  urge.  "  Don't  you  know  how  all 
things  what  is  nice  fer  us  stands  in  the  Cen 
tral  Park?  Say,  Isaac,  you  should  better 
tell  Becky,  some  more,  how  the  Central 
Park  stands." 

And  Isaac's  tales  grew  daily  more  wild 
and  independent  of  fact  until  the  little  girls 
quivered  with  yearning  terror  and  the  boys 
burnished  up  forgotten  cap  pistols.  He  told 
of  lions,  tigers,  elephants,  bears  and  buffa 
loes,  all  of  enormous  size  and  strength  of 
lung,  so  that  before  many  days  had  passed 
he  had  debarred  himself,  by  whole-hearted 
lying,  from  the  very  possibility  of  joining 
the  expedition  and  seeing  the  disillusion- 
[253] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

ment  of  his  public.  With  true  artistic 
spirit  he  omitted  all  mention  of  confining 
house  or  cage  and  bestowed  the  gift  of  speech 
upon  all  the  characters,  whether  brute  or 
human,  in  his  epic.  The  merry-go-round 
he  combined  with  the  menagerie  into  a 
whole  which  was  not  to  be  resisted. 

"Und  all  the  am'blins,"  he  informed  his 
entranced  listeners;  "they  goes  around,  und 
around,  und  around,  where  music  plays  und 
flags  is.  Und  I  sets  on  a  lion  und  he  runs 
around,  und  runs  around,  und  runs  around. 
Say  —  what  you  think  ?  He  has  smiling 
looks  und  hair  on  the  neck,  und  sooner  he 
says  like  that  'I'm  awful  thirsty/  I  gives  him 
a  peanut  und  I  gets  a  golden  ring." 

"  Where  is  it  ?"  asked  the  jealous  and  in 
credulous  Patrick. 

"To  my  house."  Isaac  valiantly  lied, 
[254] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

for  well  he  remembered  the  scene  in  which 
his  scandalized  but  sympathetic  uncle  had 
discovered  his  attempt  to  purloin  the  brass 
ring  which,  with  countless  blackened  du 
plicates,  is  plucked  from  a  slot  by  the  bran 
dishing  swords  of  the  riders  upon  the  merry- 
go-round.  Truly,  its  possession  had  won 
him  another  ride  —  this  time  upon  an  ele 
phant  with  upturned  trunk  and  wide  ears  — 
but  in  his  mind  the  return  of  that  ring  still 
rankled  as  the  only  grief  in  an  otherwise  per 
fect  day. 

Miss  Bailey  —  ably  assisted  by  ^Esop, 
Rudyard  Kipling,  and  Thompson  Seton  - 
had  prepared  the  First  Reader  Class  to 
accept  garrulous  and  benevolent  lions, 
cows,  panthers,  and  elephants,  and  the 
exploring  party's  absolute  credulity  en 
couraged  Isaac  to  higher  and  yet  higher 
[255] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

flights,  until  Becky  was  strengthened  against 
temptation. 

At  last,  on  a  Sunday  in  late  June,  the  cav 
alcade  in  splendid  raiment  met  on  the  wide 
steps,  boarded  a  Grand  Street  car,  and  set 
out  for  Paradise.  Some  confusion  occurred 
at  the  very  beginning  of  things  when  Becky 
Zalmonowsky  curtly  refused  to  share  her 
pennies  with  the  conductor.  When  she  was 
at  last  persuaded  to  yield,  an  embarrassing 
five  minutes  was  consumed  in  searching  for 
the  required  amount  in  the  nooks  and  cran 
nies  of  her  costume  where,  for  safe-keeping, 
she  had  cached  her  fund.  One  penny  was 
in  her  shoe,  another  in  her  stocking,  two  in 
the  lining  of  her  hat,  and  one  in  the  large 
and  dilapidated  chatelaine  bag  which  dan 
gled  at  her  knees. 

Nathan  Spiderwitz,  who  had  preserved 
[256] 


THE  LAND   OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

absolute  silence,  now  contributed  his  fare, 
moist  and  warm,  from  his  mouth,  and  Eva 
turned  to  him  admonishingly. 

"Ain't  Teacher  told  you  money  in  the 
mouth  ain't  healthy  fer  you?"  she  sternly 
questioned,  and  Nathan,  when  he  had  re 
moved  other  pennies,  was  able  to  answer: 

"  I  washed  'em  first  off."  And  they  were  in 
deed  most  brightly  clean.  "There's  holes  in 
me  these  here  pockets,"  he  explained,  and 
promptly  corked  himself  anew  with  currency. 

"But  they  don't  tastes  nice,  do  they?" 
Morris  remonstrated.  Nathan  shook  a  cor 
roborative  head.  "Und,"  the  Monitor  of 
the  Gold-Fish  further  urged,  "you  could 
to  swallow  'em  und  then  you  couldn't 
never  to  come  by  your  house  no  more." 

But  Nathan  was  not  to  be  dissuaded,  even 
when  the  impressional  and  experimental 
[257] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Becky  tried  his  storage  system  and  suffered 
keen  discomfort  before  her  penny  was  re 
stored  to  her  by  a  resourceful  fellow-traveller 
who  thumped  her  right  lustily  on  the  back 
until  her  Growings  ceased  and  the  coin  was 
once  more  in  her  hand. 

At  the  meeting  of  Grand  Street  with  the 
Bowery,  wild  confusion  was  made  wilder  by 
the  addition  of  seven  small  persons  armed 
with  transfers  and  clamouring  —  all  except 
Nathan  —  for  Central  Park.  Two  news 
boys  and  a  policeman  bestowed  them  upon  a 
Third  Avenue  car  and  all  went  well  until 
Patrick  missed  his  lunch  and  charged  Igna 
tius  Aloysius  with  its  abstraction.  Words 
ensued  which  were  not  easily  to  be  forgotten 
even  when  the  refreshment  was  found  —  flat 
and  horribly  distorted  —  under  the  portly 
frame  of  the  chaperon. 

[2581 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S   DESIRE 

Jealousy  may  have  played  some  part  in 
the  misunderstanding,  for  it  was  undeniable 
that  there  was  a  sprightliness,  a  joy  ant 
brightness,  in  the  flowing  red  scarf  on  Igna 
tius  Aloysius's  nautical  breast,  which  was 
nowhere  paralleled  in  Patrick's  more  sub 
dued  array.  And  the  tenth  commandment 
seemed  very  arbitrary  to  Patrick,  the  star  of 
St.  Mary's  Sunday-school,  when  he  saw  that 
the  red  silk  was  attracting  nearly  all  the 
attention  of  his  female  contingent.  If  Eva 
admired  flaunting  ties  it  were  well  that  she 
should  say  so  now.  There  was  yet  time  to 
spare  himself  the  agony  of  riding  on  rubber 
neck-boat-birds  with  one  whose  interest 
wandered  from  brass  buttons.  Darkly  Pat 
rick  scowled  upon  his  unconscious  rival,  and 
guilefully  he  remarked  to  Eva : 

"Red  neckties  is  nice,  don't  you  think?'* 
[259] 


LIT1LE   CITIZENS 

"Awful  nice,"  Eva  agreed;  "but  they 
ain't  so  stylish  like  high-stiffs.  High-stiffs 
und  derbies  is  awful  stylish." 

Gloom  and  darkness  vanished  from  the 
heart  and  countenance  of  the  Knight  of 
Munster,  for  around  his  neck  he  wore,  with 
suppressed  agony,  the  highest  and  stiffest 
of  "high-stiffs,"  and  his  brows  —  and  the 
back  of  his  neck  —  were  encircled  by  his  big 
brother's  work-a-day  derby.  Again  he  saw 
and  described  to  Eva  the  vision  which  had 
lived  in  his  hopes  for  now  so  many  weeks: 
against  a  background  of  teeming  jungle, 
mysterious  and  alive  with  wild  beasts,  an 
amiable  boat-bird  floated  on  the  water-lake; 
and  upon  the  boat-bird,  trembling  but  re 
assured,  sat  Eva  Gonorowsky,  hand  in  hand 
with  her  brass-buttoned  protector. 

As  the  car  sped  up  the  Bowery  the  chil- 
[260] 


THE   LAND    OF   HEART'S   DESIRE 

dren  felt  that  they  were  indeed  adventurers. 
The  clattering  Elevated  trains  overhead,  the 
crowds  of  brightly  decked  Sunday  strollers, 
the  clanging  trolley  cars,  and  the  glimpses 
they  caught  of  shining  green  as  they  passed 
the  streets  leading  to  the  smaller  squares  and 
parks,  all  contributed  to  the  holiday  uplift- 
edness  which  swelled  their  unaccustomed 
hearts.  At  each  vista  of  green  they  made 
ready  to  disembark  and  were  restrained  only 
by  the  conductor  and  by  the  sage  counsel 
of  Eva,  who  reminded  her  impulsive  com 
panions  that  the  Central  Park  could  be  read 
ily  identified  by  "the  hollers  from  all  them 
things  what  hollers."  And  so,  in  happy 
watching  and  calm  trust  of  the  conductor, 
they  were  borne  far  beyond  59th  Street,  the 
first  and  most  popular  entrance  to  the  park, 
before  an  interested  passenger  came  to 
[261] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

their  rescue.  They  tumbled  off  the  car  and 
pressed  towards  the  green  only  to  find  them 
selves  shut  out  by  a  high  stone  wall,  against 
which  they  crouched  and  listened  in  vain  for 
identifying  hollers.  The  silence  began  to 
frighten  them,  when  suddenly  the  quiet  air 
was  shattered  by  a  shriek  which  would  have 
done  credit  to  the  biggest  of  boat-birds  or  of 
lions,  but  which  was  —  the  children  dis 
covered  after  a  moment's  panic  —  only  the 
prelude  to  an  outburst  of  grief  on  the  chap 
eron's  part.  When  the  inarticulate  stage  of 
her  sorrow  was  passed,  she  demanded  in 
stant  speech  with  her  mamma.  She  would 
seem  to  have  expressed  a  sentiment  common 
to  the  majority,  for  three  heads  in  Spring 
finery  leaned  dejectedly  against  the  stone 
barrier  while  Nathan  removed  his  car-fare  to 
contribute  the  remark  that  he  was  growing 
[262] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

hungry.  Patrick  was  forced  to  seek  aid  in 
the  passing  crowd  on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  in 
response  to  his  pleading  eyes  and  the  de 
pression  of  his  party,  a  lady  of  gentle  aspect 
and  "kind  looks"  stopped  and  spoke  to 
them. 

"Indeed,  yes,"  she  reassured  them;  "this 
is  Central  Park." 

"It  has  looks  off  the  country,"  Eva  com 
mented.  9 

"Because  it  is  a  piece  of  the  country,"  the 
lady  explained. 

"Then  we  dassent  to  go,  the  while  we 
ain't  none  of  us  got  no  sickness,"  cried  Eva 
forlornly.  "We're  all,  all  healthy,  und  the 
country  is  for  sick  childrens." 

"I  am  glad  you  are  well,"  said  the  lady 
kindly;  "but  you  may  certainly  play  in  the 
park.  It  is  meant  for  all  little  children. 
[263] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

The  gate  is  near.     Just  walk  on  near  this 
wall  until  you  come  to  it." 

It  was  only  a  few  blocks,  and  they  were 
soon  in  the  land  of  their  hearts'  desire,  where 
were  waving  trees  and  flowering  shrubs  and 
smoothly  sloping  lawns,  and,  framed  in  all 
these  wonders,  a  beautiful  little  water-lake 
all  dotted  and  brightened  by  fleets  of  tiny 
boats.  The  pilgrims  from  the  East  Side 
stood  for  a  moment  at  gaze  and  then  bore 
down  upon  the  jewel,  straight  over  grass 
and  border,  which  is  a  course  not  lightly  to 
be  followed  in  park  precincts  and  in  view  of 
park  policemen.  The  ensuing  reprimand 
dashed  their  spirits  not  at  all  and  they  were 
soon  assembled  close  to  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  where  they  got  entangled  in  guiding 
strings  and  drew  to  shore  many  a  craft,  to 
the  disgust  of  many  a  small  owner.  Becky 
[264] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

Zalmonowsky  stood  so  closely  over  the  lake 
that  she  shed  the  chatelaine  bag  into  its 
shallow  depths  and  did  irreparable  damage 
to  her  gala  costume  in  her  attempts  to  "  dib 
ble"  for  her  property.  It  was  at  last  re 
covered,  no  wetter  than  the  toilette  it  was 
intended  to  adorn,  and  the  cousins  Gono- 
rowsky  had  much  difficulty  in  balking 
Becky's  determination  to  remove  her  gown 
and  dry  it  then  and  there. 

Then  Ignatius  Aloysius,  the  exacting,  re 
membered  garrulously  that  he  had  as  yet 
seen  nothing  of  the  rubber-neck-boat-birds 
and  suggested  that  they  were  even  now  gra 
ciously  "hollering  like  an'thing"  in  some 
remote  fastness  of  the  park.  So  Patrick 
gave  commands  and  the  march  was  resumed 
with  bliss  now  beaming  on  all  the  faces  so 
lately  clouded.  Every  turn  of  the  endless 
[  265  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

walks  brought  new  wonders  to  these  little 
ones  who  were  gazing  for  the  first  time  upon 
the  great  world  of  growing  things  of  which 
Miss  Bailey  had  so  often  told  them.  The 
policeman's  warning  had  been  explicit  and 
they  followed  decorously  in  the  paths  and 
picked  none  of  the  flowers  which,  as  Eva 
had  heard  of  old,  were  sticking  right  up  out 
of  the  ground.  And  other  flowers  there  were 
dangling  high  or  low  on  tree  or  shrub,  while 
here  and  there  across  the  grass  a  bird  came 
hopping  or  a  squirrel  ran.  But  the  pilgrims 
never  swerved.  Full  well  they  knew  that 
these  delights  were  not  for  such  as  they. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  surprise  and  con 
cern  that  they  at  last  debouched  upon  a 
wide  green  space  where  a  flag  waved  at  the 
top  of  a  towering  pole;  for,  behold,  the  grass 
was  covered  thick  with  children,  with  here 
[266] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

and  there  a  beneficent  policeman  looking 
serenely  on. 

"Dast  we  walk  on  it?"  cried  Morris. 
"  Oh,  Patrick,  dast  we  ?" 

"Ask  the  cop,"  Nathan  suggested.  It 
was  his  first  speech  for  an  hour,  for  Becky's 
misadventure  with  the  chatelaine  bag  and 
the  water-lake  had  made  him  more  than 
ever  sure  that  his  own  method  of  safe-keep 
ing  was  the  best. 

"Ask  him  yerself,"  retorted  Patrick.  He 
had  quite  intended  to  accost  a  large  police 
man,  who  would  of  course  recognize  and 
revere  the  buttons  of  Mr.  Brennan  pere,  but 
a  commander  cannot  well  accept  the  advice 
of  his  subordinates.  But  Nathan  was  once 
more  beyond  the  power  of  speech,  and  it 
was  Morris  Mogilewsky  who  asked  for  and 
obtained  permission  to  walk  on  God's  green 
[267] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

earth.  With  little  spurts  of  running  and 
tentative  jumps  to  test  its  spring,  they 
crossed  Peacock  Lawn  to  the  grateful  shade 
of  the  trees  at  its  further  edge  and  there 
disposed  themselves  upon  the  ground  and 
ate  their  luncheon.  Nathan  Spiderwitz 
waited  until  Sadie  had  finished  and  then 
entrusted  the  five  gleaming  pennies  to  her 
care  while  he  wildly  bolted  an  appetizing 
combination  of  dark  brown-bread  and  un 
cooked  salmon. 

Becky  reposed  upon  the  chatelaine  bag 
and  waved  her  still  damp  shoes  exultantly. 
Eva  lay,  face  downward  beside  her,  and 
peered  wonderingly  deep  into  the  roots  of 
things. 

"Don't  it  smells  nice!'*  she  gloated. 
"Don't  it  looks  nice!  My,  ain't  we  bavin5 
the  party-time!" 

[268] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

"Don't  mention  it,"  said  Patrick,  in  care 
ful  imitation  of  his  mother's  hostess's  man 
ner.  "  I'm  pleased  to  see  you,  I'm  sure." 

"The  Central  Park  is  awful  pretty," 
Sadie  soliloquized  as  she  lay  on  her  back 
and  watched  the  waving  branches  and  blue 
sky  far  above.  "Awful  pretty!  I  likes  we 
should  live  here  all  the  time." 

"Well,"  began  Ignatius  Aloysius  Dia- 
mantstein,  in  slight  disparagement  of  his 
rival's  powers  as  a  cicerone;  "well,  I  ain't 
seen  no  lions,  nor  no  rubber-neck-boat- 
birds.  Und  we  ain't  had  no  rides  on 
nothings.  Und  I  ain't  heard  no  hollers 
neither." 

As  if  in  answer  to  this  criticism  there  arose 

upon  the  road  beyond  the  trees  a  snorting, 

panting  noise,  growing  momentarily  louder 

and  culminating  just  as  East  Side  nerves 

[269] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

were  strained  to  breaking  point,  in  a  long, 
hoarse  and  terrifying  yell.  There  was  a 
flash  of  red,  a  cloud  of  dust,  three  other 
toots  of  agony,  and  the  thing  was  gone. 
Gone,  too,  were  the  explorers  and  gone  their 
peaceful  rest.  To  the  distant  end  of  the 
field  they  flew,  led  by  the  panic-stricken 
chaperon,  and  followed  by  Eva  and  Patrick, 
hand  in  hand,  he  making  show  of  a  bravery 
he  was  far  from  feeling,  and  she  frankly 
terrified.  In  a  secluded  corner,  near  the 
restaurant,  the  chaperon  was  run  to  earth  by 
her  breathless  charges. 

"I  seen  the  lion,"  she  panted  over  and 
over.  "  I  seen  the  fierce,  big  red  lion,  und  I 
don't  know  where  is  my  mamma." 

Patrick  saw  that  one  of  the  attractions 
had  failed  to  attract,  so  he  tried  another. 

"  Let's  go  and  see  the  cows,"  he  proposed, 
[270] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

"Don't  you  know  the  po'try  piece  Miss 
Bailey  learned  us  about  cows  ?" 

Again  the  emotional  chaperon  inter 
rupted.  "  I'm  loving  much  mit  Miss  Bailey, 
too,"  she  wailed.  "  Und  I  don't  know  where 
is  she  neither."  But  the  pride  of  learning 
upheld  the  others  and  they  chanted  in  sing 
song  chorus,  swaying  rhythmically  the  while 
from  leg  to  leg : 

"  The  friendly  cow  all  red  and  white, 

I  love  with  all  my  heart : 
She  gives  me  cream  with  all  her  might, 

To  eat  with  apple-tart  Robert  Louis  Stevenson." 

Becky's  tears  ceased.  "Be  there  cows  in 
the  Central  Park  ?"  she  demanded. 

"Sure,"  said  Patrick. 

"Und  what  kind  from  cream  will  he  give 
us?  Icecream?" 

"Sure,"  said  Patrick  again, 
f  271  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Let's  go,"  cried  the  emotional  chaperon. 
A  passing  stranger  turned  the  band  in  the 
general  direction  of  the  menagerie  and  the 
reality  of  the  cow  brought  the  whole  "mem 
ory  gem"  into  strange  and  undreamed 
reality. 

Gaily  they  set  out  through  new  and  al 
ways  beautiful  ways ;  through  tunnels  where 
feet  and  voices  rang  with  ghostly  boomings 
most  pleasant  to  the  ear;  over  bridges 
whence  they  saw  —  in  partial  proof  of  Isaac 
Borrachsohn's  veracity  -  -  "  mans  und  ladies 
ridin'."  Of  a  surety  they  rode  nothing  more 
exciting  than  horses,  but  that  was,  to  East 
Side  eyes,  an  unaccustomed  sight,  and  Eva 
opined  that  it  was  owing,  probably,  to  the 
shortness  of  their  watch  that  they  saw  no 
lions  and  tigers  similarly  amiable.  The 
cows,  too,  seemed  far  to  seek,  but  the  trees 
[272] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

and  grass  and  flowers  were  everywhere. 
Through  long  stretches  of  "for  sure  coun 
try"  they  picked  their  way,  until  they  came, 
hot  but  happy,  to  a  green  and  shady  summer 
house  on  a  hill.  There  they  halted  to  rest, 
and  there  Ignatius  Aloysius,  with  question 
able  delicacy,  began  to  insist  once  more  upon 
the  full  measure  of  his  bond. 

"We  ain't  seen  the  rubber-neck-boat- 
birds,"  he  complained.  "Und  we  ain't  had 
no  rides  on  nothings." 

''You  don't  know  what  is  polite,"  cried 
Eva,  greatly  shocked  at  his  carping  spirit  in 
the  presence  of  a  hard- worked  host.  '<(  You 
could  to  think  shame  over  how  you  says 
somethings  like  that  on  a  party." 

"This  ain't  no  party,"  Ignatius  Aloysius 
retorted.  "It's  a  'scursion.  To  a  party 
somebody  gives  you  what  you  should  eat; 
[273] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

to  a  'scursion  you  brings  it.  Und,  anyway, 
we  ain't  had  no  rides." 

"But  we  heard  a  holler,"  the  guest  of 
honour  reminded  him.  "We  heard  a  fierce, 
big  holler  from  a  lion.  I  don't  know  do  I 
need  a  ride  on  something  what  hollers.  I 
could  to  have  a  fraid  maybe." 

"Ye  wouldn't  be  afraid  on  the  boats  when 
I  hold  yer  hand,  would  ye?"  Patrick  anx 
iously  inquired,  and  Eva  shyly  admitted 
that,  thus  supported,  she  might  be  undis 
mayed.  To  work  off  the  pride  and  joy 
caused  by  this  avowal,  Patrick  mounted  the 
broad  seat  extending  all  around  the  summer- 
house  and  began  to  walk  clatteringly  upon 
it.  The  other  pilgrims  followed  suit  and 
the  whole  party  stamped  and  danced  with 
infinite  enjoyment.  Suddenly  the  leader 
halted  with  a  cry  of  triumph  and  pointed 
[274] 


THE  LAND  OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

grandly  out  through  one  of  the  wistaria- 
hung  openings.  Not  De  Soto  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  nor  Balboa  above 
the  Pacific  could  have  felt  more  victorious 
than  Patrick  did  as  he  announced : 

"There's  the  water-lake!" 

His  followers  closed  in  upon  him  so  im 
petuously  that  he  was  borne  down  under 
their  charge  and  fell  ignominiously  out  upon 
the  grass.  But  he  was  hardly  missed;  he 
had  served  his  purpose.  For  there,  beyond 
the  rocks  and  lawns  and  red  japonicas,  lay 
the  blue  and  shining  water-lake  in  its  con 
fining  banks  of  green.  And  upon  its  softly 
quivering  surface  floated  the  rubber-neck- 
boat-birds,  white  and  sweetly  silent  instead 
of  red  and  screaming  —  and  the  superlative 
length  and  arched  beauty  of  their  necks  sur 
passed  the  wildest  of  Ikey  Borrachsohn's 
[275] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

descriptions.  And  relying  upon  the  strength 
and  politeness  of  these  wondrous  birds  there 
were  indeed  "  mans  und  ladies  und  boys  und 
little  girls"  embarking,  disembarking,  and 
placidly  weaving  in  and  out  and  round 
about  through  scenes  of  hidden  but  un 
doubted  beauty. 

Over  rocks  and  grass  the  army  charged 
towards  bliss  unutterable,  strewing  their 
path  with  overturned  and  howling  babies  of 
prosperity  who,  clumsy  from  many  nurses 
and  much  pampering,  failed  to  make  way. 
Past  all  barriers,  accident  or  official,  they 
pressed,  nor  halted  to  draw  rein  or  breath 
until  they  were  established,  beatified,  upon 
the  waiting  swan-boat. 

Three  minutes  later  they  were  standing 
outside  the  railings  of  the  landing  and  re 
garding,  through  welling  tears,  the  placid 
[  276  ] 


THE  LAND   OF  HEART'S  DESIRE 

lake,  the  sunny  slopes  of  grass  and  tree,  the 
brilliant  sky  and  the  gleaming  rubber-neck- 
boat-bird  which,  as  Ikey  described,  "made 
go  its  legs,"  but  only,  as  he  had  omitted  to 
mention,  for  money.  So  there  they  stood, 
seven  sorrowful  little  figures  engulfed  in  the 
rayless  despair  of  childhood  and  the  bitter 
ness  of  poverty.  For  these  were  the  chil 
dren  of  the  poor,  and  full  well  they  knew 
that  money  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  its 
mission:  that  car-fare  could  not  be  squan 
dered  on  bliss. 

Becky's  woe  was  so  strong  and  loud  that 
the  bitter  wailings  of  the  others  served 
merely  as  its  background.  But  Patrick  cared 
not  at  all  for  the  general  despair.  His  re 
morseful  eyes  never  strayed  from  the  bowed 
figure  of  Eva  Gonorowsky,  for  whose  pleas 
ure  and  honour  he  had  striven  so  long  and 
[277] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

vainly.  Slowly  she  conquered  her  sobs, 
slowly  she  raised  her  daisy-decked  head, 
deliberately  she  blew  her  small  pink  nose, 
softly  she  approached  her  conquered  knight, 
gently  and  all  untruthfully  she  faltered,  with 
yearning  eyes  on  the  majestic  swans : 

"  Don't  you  have  no  sad  feelings,  Patrick. 
I  ain't  got  none.  Ain't  I  told  you  from  long, 
how  I  don't  need  no  rubber-neck-boat-bird 
rides?  I  don't  need  'em!  I  don't  need 
em!  I" —  with  a  sob  of  passionate  longing 
—  "  I'm  got  all  times  a  awful  scare  over  'em. 
Let's  go  home,  Patrick.  Becky  needs  she 
should  see  her  mamma,  und  I  guess  I  needs 
my  mamma  too." 


[278] 


A    PASSPORT   TO    PARADISE 

School  had  been  for  some  months  in  prog 
ress  when  the  footsteps  of  Yetta  Aaronsohn 
were  turned,  by  a  long-suffering  Truant 
Officer,  in  the  direction  of  Room  18.  Dur 
ing  her  first  few  hours  among  its  pictures, 
plants  and  children,  she  sadly  realized  the 
great  and  many  barriers  which  separated  her 
from  Eva  Gonorowsky,  Morris  Mogilewsky, 
Patrick  Brennan,  and  other  favoured  spirits 
who  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  Teacher's 
regard.  For,  with  a  face  too  white,  hair  too 
straight,  dresses  too  short  and  legs  too  long 
one  runs  a  poor  chance  in  rivalry  with  more 
blessed  and  bedizened  children. 
[279] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Miss  Bailey  had  already  appointed  her 
monitors,  organized  her  kingdom,  and  was 
so  hedged  about  with  servitors  and  assist 
ants  that  her  wishes  were  acted  upon  before 
a  stranger  could  surmise  them,  and  her 
Cabinet,  from  the  Leader  of  the  Line  to  the 
Monitor  of  the  Gold-Fish  Bowl,  presented 
an  impregnable  front  to  the  aspiring  public. 

During  recess  time  Yetta  learned  that 
Teacher  was  further  entrenched  in  ground 
less  prejudice.  Sarah  Schrodsky,  class  bu 
reau  of  etiquette  and  of  savoir  faire,  warned 
the  new-comer: 

"  Sooner  you  comes  on  the  school  mit  dirt 
on  the  face  she  wouldn't  to  have  no  kind 
feelin's  over  you.  She  don't  lets  you  should 
set  by  her  side :  she  don't  lets  you  should  be 
monitors  off  of  somethings :  she  don't  lets  you 
should  make  an'thing  what  is  nice  feryou." 
[280] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

Another  peculiarity  was  announced  by 
Sadie  Gonorowsky:  "So  you  comes  late 
on  the  school,  she  has  fierce  mads.  Patrick 
Brennan,  he  comes  late  over  yesterday  on  the 
morning  und  she  don't  lets  he  should  march 
first  on  the  line." 

"Did  she  holler?"  asked  Yetta,  in  an 
awed  whisper. 

"No.  She  don't  need  she  should  holler 
when  she  has  mads.  She  looks  on  you  mit 
long-mad-proud-looks  und  you  don't  needs 
no  hollers.  She  could  to  have  mads  'out 
sayin'  nothings  und  you  could  to  have  a 
scare  over  it.  It's  fierce.  Und  extra  she 
goes  und  tells  it  out  to  Patrick's  papa  —  he's 

A 

the  cop  mit  buttons  what  stands  by  the  cor 
ner  —  how  Patrick  comes  late  und  Patrick 
gets  killed  as  anything  over  it." 

"On'y  Patrick  ain't  cried,"  interrupted 

[281] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Eva  Gonorowsky.  She  had  heard  her 
hero's  name  and  sprang  to  his  defence. 
"Patrick  tells  me  how  his  papa  hits  him 
awful  hacks  mit  a  club.  I  don't  know 
what  is  a  club,  on'y  Patrick  says  it  makes 
him  biles  on  all  his  bones." 

'  You  gets  biles  on  your  bones  from  off  of 
cops  sooner  you  comes  late  on  the  school!" 
gasped  Yetta.  "  Nobody  ain't  tell  me  noth 
ings  over  that.  I  don't  know,  neither,  what 
is  clubs  - 

"  I  know  what  they  are,"  the  more  learned 
Sarah  Schrodsky  began.  "It's  a  house  mit 
man's  faces  in  the  windows.  It's  full  from 
mans  by  night.  Ikey  Borrachsohn's  papa's 
got  one  mit  music  inside." 

"  I  don't  likes  it !  I  have  a  f raid  over  it ! " 
wailed  Yetta.  "I  don't  know  does  my 
mamma  likes  I  should  come  somewheres 
[282] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

where  cops  mit  buttons  makes  like  that  mit 
me.  I  don't  know  is  it  healthy  fer  me." 

"Sooner  you  don't  comes  late  on  the 
school  nobody  makes  like  that  mit  you," 
Eva  reminded  the  panic-stricken  new-comer, 
and  for  the  first  three  days  of  her  school  life 
Yetta  was  very  early  and  very  dirty. 

Miss  Bailey,  with  gentle  tact,  delivered 
little  lectures  upon  the  use  and  beauty  of 
soap  and  water  which  Eva  Gonorowsky  ap 
plied  to  and  discussed  with  the  new-comer. 

"  Miss  Bailey  is  a  awful  nice  Teacher,"  she 
began  one  afternoon.  "  I  never  in  my  world 
seen  no  nicer  teacher.  On'y  she's  fancy." 

"I  seen  how  she's  fancy,"  Yetta  agreed. 
"She's  got  her  hair  done  fancy  mit  combs 
und  her  waist  is  from  fancy  goods." 

"Yes,  she's  fancy,"  Eva  continued.  "She 
likes  you  should  put  you  on  awful  clean. 
[283] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

Say,  what  you  think,  she  sends  a  boy  home 
once  —  mit  notes  even  —  the  while  he  puts 
him  on  mit  dirty  sweaters.  She  says  like 
this:  'Sweaters  what  you  wears  by  nights 
und  by  days  ain't  stylish  fer  school.'  TJnd  I 
guess  she  knows  what  is  stylish.  I  ain't 
never  in  my  world  seen  no  stylisher  teacher." 

"I  don't  know  be  buttoned-in-back 
dresses  the  style  this  year,"  ventured  Yetta. 
The  same  misgiving  had  visited  Eva,  but  she 
thrust  it  loyally  from  her. 

"They're  the  latest,"  she  declared. 

"  It's  good  they're  the  style,"  sighed  Yetta. 
"Mine  dress  is  a  buttoned-in-back-dress, 
too.  On'y  I  loses  me  the  buttons  from  off  of 
it.  I  guess  maybe  I  sews  'em  on  again. 
Teacher  could  to  have,  maybe,  kind  feelings, 
sooner  she  sees  how  I  puts  me  on  mit  buttons 
on  mine  back  und  — ' 

[284] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

"Sure  could  she!"  interrupted  the  sus 
taining  Eva. 

"Could  she  have  kind  feelings  sooner  I 
puts  me  on  clean  mit  buttons  on  mine  back 
und  makes  all  things  what  is  nice  fer  me? 
Oh,  Eva,  could  she  have  feelin's  over  me  ?" 

"Sure  could  she,"  cried  Eva.  "Sooner 
you  makes  all  them  things  she  could  to  make 
you,  maybe,  monitors  off  of  somethings." 

"Be  you  monitors?"  demanded  Yetta  in 
sudden  awe. 

"Off  of  pencils.  Ain't  you  seen  how  I 
gives  'em  out  and  takes  'em  up  ?  She  gives 
me  too  a  piece  of  paper  mit  writings  on  it. 
Sooner  I  shows  it  on  the  big  boys  what  stands 
by  the  door  in  the  yard,  sooner  they  lets  me 
I  should  come  right  up  by  Teacher's  room. 
You  could  to  look  on  it."  And,  after  un 
folding  countless  layers  of  paper  and  of 
(285] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

cheese-cloth  handkerchief,  she  exhibited  her 
talisman.  It  was  an  ordinary  visiting  card 
with  a  line  of  writing  under  its  neatly  en 
graved  "Miss  Constance  Bailey,"  and 
Yetta  regarded  it  with  envying  eyes. 

"What  does  it  says  ?"  she  asked. 

"Well,"  admitted  Eva  with  reluctant  can 
dour,  "  I  couldn't  to  read  them  words  but  I 
guess  it  says  I  should  come  all  places  what  I 
wants  the  while  I'm  good  girls." 

"Can  you  go  all  places  where  you  wants 
mit  it?" 

"Sure  could  you." 

"Ontheaytres?" 

"Sure." 

"On  the  Central  Park ?" 

"Sure." 

"On    the    country?     Oh    I    guess    you 
couldn't  to  go  on  the  country  mit  it  ?" 
[286] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

"Sure  could  you.  All  places  what  you 
wants  you  could  to  go  sooner  Missis  Bailey 
writes  on  papers  how  you  is  good  girls." 

"Oh,  how  I  likes  she  should  write  like 
that  fer  me.  Oh,  how  I  likes  I  should  be 
monitors  off  of  somethings." 

"I  tell  you  what  you  want  to  do:  wash 
your  hands!"  cried  Eva,  with  sudden  inspi 
ration.  "  She's  crazy  for  what  is  clean.  You 
wash  your  hands  und  your  face.  She  could 
to  have  feelin's." 

For  some  mornings  thereafter  Yetta  was 
clean  —  and  late.  Miss  Bailey  overlooked 
the  cleanliness,  but  noted  the  tardiness,  and 
treated  the  offender  with  some  of  "the  mads 
'out  sayin'  nothings"  which  Sadie  had  pre 
dicted.  Still,  the  "cop  mit  buttons  und 
clubs"  did  not  appear,  though  Yetta  lived 
in  constant  terror  and  expected  that  every 
[  287  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

opening  of  the  door  would  disclose  that 
dread  avenger. 

On  the  fourth  morning  of  her  ablutions 
Yetta  reached  Room  18  while  a  reading  les 
son  was  absorbing  Teacher's  attention : 

"Powers  above!"  ejaculated  Patrick 
Brennan,  with  all  the  ostentatious  virtue  of 
the  recently  reformed,  "here's  that  new  kid 
late  again!" 

The  new  kid,  in  copious  tears,  encoun 
tered  one  of  the  "long-mad-proud-looks" 
and  cringed. 

"Why  are  you  late?"  demanded  Miss 
Bailey. 

"I  washes  me  the  face,"  whimpered  the 
culprit,  and  the  eyes  with  which  she  regard 
ed  Eva  Gonorowsky  added  tearfully:  "Vil 
lain  behold  your  work ! " 

"So  I  see,  but  that  is  no  reason  for  being 
[288] 


• 


AIN'T  YOU  NEVER  COM  IN'  ON  THE  SCHOOL  FOR  TO  SEE 
MINE  TEACHER?" 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

late.  You  have  been  late  twice  a  day,  morn 
ing  and  afternoon,  for  the  last  three  days  and 
your  only  excuse  has  been  that  you  were  wash 
ing  your  face.  Which  is  no  excuse  at  all." 

"I  tells  you  'scuse,"  pleaded  Yetta.  "I 
tells  you  'scuse." 

' '  Very  well,  I'll  forgive  you  to-day.  I  sup 
pose  I  must  tolerate  you." 

"No-o-oh  ma' an,  Teacher,  Missis  Bailey, 
don't  you  do  it,"  screamed  Yetta  in  sudden 
terror.  "I'd  have  a  awful  frightened  over 
it.  I  swear,  I  kiss  up  to  God,  I  wouldn't 
never  no  more  come  late  on  the  school.  I 
don't  needs  nobody  should  make  nothings 
like  that  mit  me." 

"  Oh,  it's  not  so  bad,"  Miss  Bailey  reas 
sured  her.     "And  you  must  expect  some 
thing  to  happen  if  you  will  come  late  to 
school  for  no  reason  at  all." 
[289] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

And  Yetta  was  too  disturbed  by  the  dan 
ger  so  narrowly  escaped  to  tell  this  charming 
but  most  strangely  ignorant  young  person 
that  the  washing  of  a  face  was  a  most  time- 
consuming  process.  Yetta's  one  -  roomed 
home  was  on  the  top  floor,  the  sixth,  and  the 
only  water  supply  was  in  the  yard.  Since 
the  day  her  father  had  packed  "assorted 
notions"  into  a  black  and  shiny  box  and  had 
set  out  to  seek  his  very  elusive  fortunes  in 
the  country,  Yetta  had  toiled  three  times 
a  morning  with  a  tin  pail  full  of  water. 
This  formed  the  family's  daily  store  and 
there  was  no  surplus  to  be  squandered. 
But  to  win  Teacher's  commendation  she 
had  bent  her  tired  energies  to  another  trip 
and,  behold,  her  reward  was  a  scolding! 

Eva  Gonorowsky  was  terribly  distressed, 
and  the  plaintive  sobs  which,  from  time  to 
[290] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

time,  rent  the  bosom  of  Yetta's  dingy  plaid 
dress  were  as  so  many  blows  upon  her  ad 
viser's  bruised  conscience.  Desperately  she 
cast  about  for  some  device  by  which  Tea 
cher's  favour  might  be  reclaimed  and  all 
jubilantly  she  imparted  it  to  Yetta. 

"Say,"  she  whispered,  "I  tell  you  what 
you  want  to  do.  You  leave  your  mamma 
wash  your  dress." 

"  I  don't  know  would  she  like  it.  I  washes 
me  the  face  f er  her  und  she  has  a  mad  on 


me." 


"She'd  like  it,  all  right,  all  right;  ain't  I 
tell  you  how  she  is  crazy  f  er  what  is  clean  ? 
You  get  your  dress  washed  and  it  will  look 
awful  diff'rent.  I  done  it  und  she  had  a 
glad." 

Now  a  mamma  who  supports  a  family  by 
the  making  of  buttonholes,  for  one  hundred 
[291] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

of  which  she  receives  nine  cents,  has  little 
time  for  washing,  and  Yetta  determined,  un 
aided  and  unadvised,  to  be  her  own  laun 
dress.  She  made  endless  trips  with  her 
tin-pail  from  the  sixth  floor  to  the  yard  and 
back  again,  she  begged  a  piece  of  soap 
from  the  friendly  "janitor  lady"  and  set 
valiantly  to  work.  And  Eva's  prophecy 
was  fulfilled.  The  dress  looked  "awful 
diff'rent"  when  it  had  dried  to  half  its 
already  scant  proportions.  From  various 
sources  Yetta  collected  six  buttons  of  widely 
dissimilar  design  and  colour  and,  with  great 
difficulty  since  her  hands  were  puffed  and 
clumsy  from  long  immersion  in  strong  suds, 
she  affixed  them  to  the  back  of  the  dress 
and  fell  into  her  corner  of  the  family  couch 
to  dream  of  Miss  Bailey's  surprise  and  joy 
when  the  blended  plaid  should  be  revealed 
[292] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

unto  her.  Surely,  if  there  were  any  gratitude 
in  the  hearts  of  teachers,  Yetta  should  be, 
ere  the  sinking  of  another  sun,  "monitors 
off  of  somethings." 

That  Teacher  was  surprised,  no  one  who 
saw  the  glance  of  puzzled  inquiry  with  which 
she  greeted  the  entrance  of  the  transformed 
Yetta,  could  doubt.  That  she  had  a  glad, 
Yetta,  who  saw  the  stare  replaced  by  a  smile 
of  quick  recognition,  was  proudly  assured. 
Eva  Gonorowsky  shone  triumphant. 

"Ain't  I  tell  you?"  she  whispered  jubi 
lantly  as  she  made  room  upon  her  little 
bench  and  drew  Yetta  down  beside  her. 
"  Ain't  I  tell  you  how  she's  crazy  f er  what  is 
clean  ?  Und  I  ain't  never  seen  nothings 
what  is  clean  like  you  be.  You  smells  off  of 
soap  even." 

It  was  not  surprising,  for  Yetta  had  omit- 
[293] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

ted  the  rinsing  which  some  laundresses  ad 
vise.  She  had  wasted  none  of  the  janitor 
lady's  gift.  It  was  all  in  the  meshes  of  the 
flannel  dress  to  which  it  lent,  in  addition  to 
its  reassuring  perfume,  a  smooth  damp  slip- 
periness  most  pleasing  to  the  touch. 

The  athletic  members  of  the  First  Reader 
Class  were  made  familiar  with  this  quality 
before  the  day  was  over,  for,  at  the  slightest 
exertion  of  its  wearer,  the  rain-bow  dress 
sprang,  chrysalis-like,  widely  open  up  the 
back.  Then  were  the  combined  efforts  of 
two  of  the  strongest  members  of  the  class  re 
quired  to  drag  the  edges  into  apposition  while 
Eva  guided  the  buttons  to  their  respective 
holes  and  Yetta  "let  go  of  her  breath"  with 
an  energy  which  defeated  its  purpose. 

These  interruptions  of  the  class  routine 
were  so  inevitable  a  consequence  of  Swedish 
[294] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

exercises  and  gymnastics  that  Miss  Bailey 
was  forced  to  sacrifice  Yetta's  physical  de 
velopment  to  the  general  discipline  and  to 
anchor  her  in  quiet  waters  during  the  fre 
quent  periods  of  drill.  When  she  had  been 
in  time  she  sat  at  Teacher's  desk  in  a  glow  of 
love  and  pride.  When  she  had  been  late 
she  stood  in  a  corner  near  the  book-case  and 
repented  of  her  sin.  And,  despite  all  her 
exertions  and  Eva's  promptings,  she  was  still 
occasionally  late. 

Miss  Bailey  was  seriously  at  a  loss  for 
some  method  of  dealing  with  a  child  so  wist 
ful  of  eyes  and  so  damaging  of  habits.  A 
teacher's  standing  on  the  books  of  the  Board 
of  Education  depends  to  a  degree  upon  the 
punctuality  and  regularity  of  attendance  to 
which  she  can  inspire  her  class,  and  Yetta 
was  reducing  the  average  to  untold  depths. 
[295] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

"  What  happened  to-day  ?"  Teacher  asked 
one  morning  for  the  third  time  in  one  week, 
and  through  Yetta's  noisy  repentance  she 
heard  hints  of  "store"  and  "mamma." 

"Your  mamma  sent  you  to  the  store?" 
she  interpreted  and  Yetta  nodded  dolefully. 

"And  did  you  give  her(my  message  about 
that  last  week  ?  Did  you  tell  her  that  she 
must  send  you  to  school  before  nine  o'clock  ?" 
Again  Yetta  nodded,  silent  and  resigned, 
evidently  a  creature  bound  upon  the  wheel, 
heart  broken  but  uncomplaining. 

"Well,  then,"  began  Miss  Bailey,  strug 
gling  to  maintain  her  just  resentment,  "you 
can  tell  her  now  that  I  want  to  see  her.  Ask 
her  to  come  to  school  to-morrow  morning." 

"Teacher,  she  couldn't.  She  ain't  got 
time.  Und  she  don't  know  where  is  the 
school  neither." 

[296] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

"That's  nonsense.  You  live  only  two 
blocks  away.  She  sees  it  every  time  she 
passes  the  corner." 

"She  don't  never  pass  no  corner.  She 
don't  never  come  on  the  street.  My  mamma 
ain't  got  time.  She  sews." 

"But  she  can't  sew  always.  She  goes  out, 
doesn't  she,  to  do  shopping  and  to  see  her 
friends?" 

"  She  ain't  got  friends.  She  ain't  got  time 
she  should  have  'em.  She  sews  all  times. 
Sooner  I  lays  me  und  the  babies  on  the  bed 
by  night  my  mamma  sews.  Und  sooner 
I  stands  up  in  mornings  my  mamma  sews. 
All,  all,  ALL  times  she  sews." 

"  And  where  is  your  father  ?  Doesn't  he 
help?" 

"Teacher,  he's  on  the  country.  He  is 
pedlar  mans.  He  walk  und  he  walk  und 
[297] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

he  walk  mit  all  things  what  is  stylish  in  a 
box.  On'y  nobody  wants  they  should 
buy  somethings  from  off  of  my  papa.  No 
ma'an,  Missis  Bailey,  that  ain't  how  they 
makes  mit  my  poor  papa.  They  goes  und 
makes  dogs  should  bite  him  on  the  legs. 
That's  how  he  tells  in  a  letter  what  he  writes 
on  my  mamma.  Comes  no  money  in  the 
letter  und  me  und  my  mamma  we  got  it 
pretty  hard.  We  got  three  babies." 

"  I'm  going  home  with  you  this  afternoon," 
announced  Miss  Bailey  in  a  voice  which  sug 
gested  neither  mads  nor  clubs  nor  violence. 

After  that  visit  things  were  a  shade  more 
bearable  in  the  home  of  the  absent  pedlar, 
and  one -half  of  Yetta's  ambition  was 
achieved.  Teacher  had  a  glad !  There  was 
a  gentleness  almost  apologetic  in  her  atti 
tude  and  the  hour  after  which  an  arrival 
[298] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

should  be  met  with  a  long-proud-mad-look 
was  indefinitely  postponed.  And,  friendly 
relations  being  established,  Yetta's  craving 
for  monitorship  grew  with  the  passing  days. 

When  she  expressed  to  Teacher  her  will 
ingness  to  hold  office  she  was  met  with  un 
satisfying  but  baffling  generalities. 

"But  surely  I  shall  let  you  be  monitor 
some  day.  I  have  monitors  for  nearly  every 
thing  under  the  sun,  now,  but  perhaps  1 
shall  think  of  something  for  you." 

"I  likes,"  faltered  Yetta;  "I  likes  I 
should  be  monitor  off  of  flowers." 

"But  Nathan  Spiderwitz  takes  care  of  the 
window  boxes.  He  won't  let  even  me  touch 
them.  Think  what  he  would  do  to  you." 

"  Then  I  likes  I  should  be  monitors  to  set 
by  your  place  when  you  goes  by  the  Princi 
pal's  office." 

[299] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"But  Patrick  Brennan  always  takes  care 
of  the  children  when  I  am  not  in  the  room." 

"He  marches  first  by  the  line  too.  He's 
two  monitors." 

"He  truly  is,"  agreed  Miss  Bailey.  "Well, 
I  shall  let  you  try  that  some  day." 

It  was  a  most  disastrous  experiment.  The 
First  Reader  Class,  serenely  good  under  the 
eye  of  Patrick  Brennan,  who  wore  one  of  the 
discarded  brass  buttons  of  his  sire  pinned  to 
the  breast  of  his  shirt-waist,  found  nothing 
to  fear  or  to  obey  in  his  supplanter,  and 
Miss  Bailey  returned  to  her  kingdom  to 
find  it  in  an  uproar  and  her  regent  in  tears. 

"I  don't  likes  it.  I  don't  likes  it,"  Yetta 
wailed.  "All  the  boys  shows  a  fist  on  me. 
All  the  girls  makes  a  snoot  on  me.  All  the 
childrens  say  cheek  on  me.  I  don't  likes  it 
I  don't  likes  it." 

[300] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

"Then  you  sha'n't  do  it  again,"  Teacher 
comforted  her.  "You  needn't  be  a  moni 
tor  if  you  don't  wish." 

"But  I  likes  I  shall  be  monitors.  On'y 
not  that  kind  from  monitors." 

"  If  you  can  think  of  something  you  would 
enjoy  I  shall  let  you  try  again.  But  it  must  be 
something,  dear,  that  no  one  is  doing  for  me." 

But  Yetta  could  think  of  nothing  until  one 
afternoon  when  she  was  sitting  at  Teacher's 
desk  during  a  Swedish  drill.  All  about  her 
were  Teacher's  things.  Her  large  green  blot 
ter,  her  "  from  gold  "  inkstand  and  pens,  her 
books  where  Fairies  lived.  Miss  Bailey  was 
standing  directly  in  front  of  the  desk  and  en 
couraging  the  First  Reader  Class  —  by  com 
mand  and  example  —  to  strenuous  waving 
of  arms  and  bending  of  bodies. 

"Forward  bend!"  commanded,  and  bent, 
[301] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Miss  Bailey  and  her  buttoned-in-back-waist 
followed  the  example  of  less  fashionable 
models,  shed  its  pearl  buttons  in  a  shower 
upon  the  smooth  blotter  and  gave  Yetta  the 
inspiration  for  which  she  had  been  waiting. 
She  gathered  the  buttons,  extracted  numer 
ous  pins  from  posts  of  trust  in  her  attire,  and 
when  Miss  Bailey  had  returned  to  her  chair, 
gently  set  about  repairing  the  breach. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Miss  Bailey.  Yetta, 
her  mouth  full  of  pins,  exhibited  the  but 
tons." 

"Dear  me!  All  those  off  "  exclaimed 
Teacher.  "  It  was  good  of  you  to  arrange  it 
for  me.  And  now  will  you  watch  it  ?  You'll 
tell  me  if  it  should  open  again  ?" 

Yetta  had  then  disposed  the  pins  to  the 
best  advantage  and  was  free  to  voice  her 
triumphant  i 

[302] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

"  Oh,  I  knows  now  how  I  wants  I  should 
be  monitors !  Teacher,  mine  dear  Teacher, 
could  I  be  monitors  off  of  the  back  of  your 
dress?" 

"But  surely,  you  may,"  laughed  Teacher, 
and  Yetta  entered  straightway  into  the 
heaven  of  fulfilled  desire. 

None  of  Eva's  descriptions  of  the  joys  of 
monitorship  had  done  justice  to  the  glad 
reality.  After  common  mortals  had  gone 
home  at  three  o'clock,  Room  18  was  trans 
formed  into  a  land  where  only  monitors  and 
love  abounded.  And  the  new  monitor  was 
welcomed  by  the  existing  staff,  for  she  had 
supplanted  no  one,  and  was  so  palpitatingly 
happy  that  Patrick  Brennan  forgave  her 
earlier  usurpation  of  his  office  and  Nathan 
Spiderwitz  bestowed  upon  her  the  freedom 
of  the  window  boxes. 

[303] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  Ever  when  you  likes  you  should  have  a 
crawley  bug  from  off  of  the  flowers ;  you  tell 
me  und  I'll  catch  one  fer  you.  I  got  lots.  I 
don't  need  'em  all." 

"I  likes  I  shall  have  one  now,"  ventured 
Yetta,  and  Nathan  ensnared  one  and  put  it 
in  her  hand  where  it  "crawlied"  most  pleas 
ingly  until  Morris  Mogilewsky  begged  it  for 
his  Gold-Fish  in  their  gleaming  "  fish  theay- 
tre."  Then  Eva  shared  with  her  friend  and 
protege  the  delight  of  sharpening  countless 
blunted  and  bitten  pencils  upon  a  piece  of 
sand-paper. 

"Say,"  whispered  Yetta  as  they  worked 
busily  and  dirtily,  "  Say,  I'm  monitors  now. 
On'y  I  ain't  got  no  papers." 

"  You  ask  her.     She'll  give  you  one." 

"I'd  have  a  shamed  the  while  she  gives 
me  und  my  mamma  whole  bunches  of  things 
[304] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

already.  She  could  to  think,  maybe,  I'm 
a  greedy.  But  I  needs  that  paper  awful 
much.  I  needs  I  shall  go  on  the  country  for 
see  mine  papa." 

"  No,  she  don't  thinks  you  is  greedy.  Ain't 
you  monitors  on  the  back  of  her  waist? 
You  should  come  up  here  'fore  the  chil- 
drens  comes  for  see  how  her  buttons  stands. 
You  go  und  tell  her  you  needs  that  paper." 

Very  diplomatically  Yetta  did.  "Teach 
er,"  she  began,  "  buttoned-in-back-dresses 
is  stylish  fer  ladies." 

"Yes,  honey,"  Miss  Bailey  acquiesced, 
"so  I  thought  when  I  saw  that  you  wear 


one." 


"On'y  they  opens,"  Yetta  went  on,  all 
flushed  by  this  high  tribute  to  her  correct 
ness.     "All  times  they  opens,  yours  und 
mine    und  that  makes  us  shamed  feelings." 
[305] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

Again  Miss  Bailey  acquiesced. 

"So-o-oh,"  pursued  Yetta,  with  fast  beat 
ing  heart;  "don't  you  wants  you  should  give 
me  somethings  from  paper  mit  writings  on 
it  so  I  could  come  on  your  room  all  times  for 
see  how  is  your  buttoned-in-back-dresses  ?" 

"A  beautiful  idea,"  cried  Teacher. 
"We'll  take  care  of  one  another's  buttons. 
I'll  write  the  card  for  you  now.  You  know 
what  to  do  with  it  ?" 

"  Yiss  ma' an.  Eva  tells  me  all  times  how 
I  could  come  where  I  wants  sooner  you 
writes  on  papers  how  I  is  good  girls." 

"I'll  write  nicer  things  than  that  on 
yours,"  said  Miss  Bailey.  "You  are  one  of 
the  best  little  girls  in  the  world.  So  useful 
to  your  mother  and  to  the  babies  and  to  me ! 
Oh  yes,  I'll  write  beautiful  things  on  your 
card,  my  dear." 

[306] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

When  the  Grand  Street  car  had  borne 
Miss  Bailey  away  Yetta  turned  to  Eva  with 
determination  in  her  eye  and  the  "  paper  mit 
writings"  in  her  hand. 

"I'm  goin'  on  the  country  for  see  my 
papa  und  birds  und  flowers  und  all  them 
things  what  Teacher  tells  stands  in  the  coun 
try.  I  need  I  should  see  them." 

"Out  your  mamma?"  Eva  remon 
strated. 

"  'Out,  'out  my  mamma.  She  ain't  got 
no  time  for  go  on  no  country.  I  don't  needs 
my  mamma  should  go  by  my  side.  Ain't 
you  said  I  could  to  go  all  places  what  I  wants 
I  should  go,  sooner  Teacher  gives  me  papers 
mit  writings?" 

"  Sure  could  you,"  Eva  repeated  solemnly. 
"There  ain't  no  place  where  you  couldn't  to 
go  mit  it." 

[307] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"I'll  go  on  the  country,"  said  Yetta. 

That  evening  Mrs.  Aaronsohn  joined  her 
neighbours  upon  the  doorstep  for  the  first 
time  in  seven  years.  For  Yetta  was  lost. 
The  neighbours  were  comforting  but  not  re 
sourceful.  They  all  knew  Yetta;  knew  her 
to  be  sensible  and  mature  for  her  years  even 
according  to  the  exacting  standard  of  the 
East  Side.  She  would  presently  return, 
they  assured  the  distraught  Mrs.  Aaron 
sohn,  and  pending  that  happy  event  they  en 
tertained  her  with  details  of  the  wanderings 
and  home  comings  of  their  own  offspring. 
But  Yetta  did  not  come.  The  reminiscent 
mothers  talked  themselves  into  silence,  the 
deserted  babies  cried  themselves  to  sleep. 
Mrs.  Aaronsohn  carried  them  up  to  bed  - 
she  hardly  knew  the  outer  aspect  of  her  own 
[308] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

door  —  and  returned  to  the  then  deserted 
doorstep  to  watch  for  her  first-born.  One 
by  one  the  lights  were  extinguished,  the 
sewing-machines  stopped,  and  the  restless 
night  of  the  quarter  closed  down.  She  was 
afraid  to  go  even  as  far  as  the  corner  in 
search  of  the  fugitive.  She  could  not 
have  recognized  the  house  which  held  her 
home. 

All  her  hopes  were  centered  in  the  coming 
of  Miss  Bailey.  When  the  children  of  hap 
pier  women  were  setting  out  for  school  she 
demanded  and  obtained  from  one  of  them 
safe  conduct  to  Room  18.  But  Teacher, 
when  Eva  Gonorowsky  had  interpreted  the 
tale  of  Yetta's  disappearance,  could  suggest 
no  explanation. 

"She  was  with  me  until  half-past  three. 
Then  she  and  Eva  walked  with  me  to  the 
[309] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

corner.  Did  she  tell  you,  dear,  where  she 
was  going?" 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma'an.  She  says  she  goes 
on  the  country  for  see  her  papa  und  birds 
und  flowers." 

When  this  was  put  into  Jewish  for  Mrs. 
Aaronsohn  she  was  neither  comforted  nor 
reassured.  Miss  Bailey  was  puzzled  but 
undismayed.  "We'll  find  her,"  she  prom 
ised  the  now  tearful  mother.  "I  shall  go 
with  you  to  look  for  her.  Say  that  in  Jewish 
for  me,  Eva." 

The  Principal  lent  a  substitute.  Room 
18  was  deserted  by  its  sovereign:  the  pen 
cils  were  deserted  by  their  monitor:  and  Mrs. 
Aaronsohn,  Miss  Bailey  and  Eva  Gonorow- 
sky,  official  interpreter,  set  out  for  the  near 
est  drug-store  where  a  telephone  might  be. 
They  inspected  several  unclaimed  children 
[310] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

before,  in  the  station  of  a  precinct  many 
weary  blocks  away,  they  came  upon  Yetta. 
She  was  more  dirty  and  bedraggled  than  she 
had  ever  been,  but  the  charm  of  her  manner 
was  unchanged  and,  suspended  about  her 
neck,  she  wore  a  policeman's  button. 

"One  of  the  men  brought  her  in  here  at 
ten  o'clock  last  night,"  the  man  behind  the 
blotter  informed  Miss  Bailey,  while  Mrs. 
Aaronsohn  showered  abuse  and  caress  upon 
the  wanderer.  "She  was  straying  around 
the  Bowery  and  she  gave  us  a  great  game  of 
talk  about  her  father  bein'  a  bird.  I  guess 
he  is." 

"  My  papa  und  birds  is  on  the  country.  I 
likes  I  shall  go  there,"  said  Yetta  from  the 
depths  of  her  mother's  embrace. 

"There,  that's  what  she  tells  everyone. 
She  has  a  card  there  with  a  Christian  name 
[  311  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

and  no  address  on  it.  I  was  going  to  try  to 
identify  her  by  looking  for  this  Miss  Con 
stance  Bailey." 

"  That  is  my  name.  I  am  her  teacher.  I 
gave  her  the  card  because  — " 

"I'm  monitors.  I  should  go  all  places 
what  I  wants  the  while  I'm  good  girls  und 
Teacher  writes  it  on  pieces  from  paper. 
On'y  I  ain't  want  I  should  come  on  no  cops' 
house.  I  likes  I  should  go  on  the  country 
for  see  my  papa  und  birds  und  flowers.  I 
says  like  that  on  a  cop  —  I  shows  him  the 
paper  even  —  und  he  makes  I  shall  come 
here  on  the  cops'  house  where  my  papa  don't 
stands  und  birds  don't  stands  und  flowers 
don't  stands." 

"When  next  you  want  to  go  to  the  coun 
try,"  said  Teacher,  "you  ought  to  let  us 
know.  You  have  frightened  us  all  dread- 
[312] 


A    PASSPORT    TO    PARADISE 

fully  and  that  is  a  very  naughty  thing  to  do. 
If  you  ever  run  away  again  I  shall  have  to 
keep  the  promise  I  made  to  you  long  and 
long  ago  when  you  used  to  come  late  to 
school.  I  shall  have  to  tolerate  you." 

But  Yetta  was  undismayed.  "I  ain't 
got  no  more  a  scare  over  that,"  said  she  with 
a  soft  smile  towards  the  brass-buttoned  per 
son  behind  the  blotter.  "TJnd  I  ain't  got 
no  scare  over  cops  neither;  I  never  in  mine 
world  seen  how  they  makes  all  things  what 
is  polite  mit  me  und  gives  me  I  should  eat." 

"Well,"  cautioned  Teacher,  "you  must 
never  do  it  again,"  and  turned  her  attention 
to  the  very  erratic  spelling  of  Sergeant 
Moloney's  official  record  of  the  flight  of 
Yetta  Aaronsohn. 

"  Say,"  whispered  Eva,  and  there  was  a 
tinge  of  jealousy  in  her  soft  voice;  "  say,  who 
[313] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

gives  you  the  button  like  Patrick  Brennan's 
got?" 

"THE  COP,"  answered  Yetta,  pointing 
a  dirty  but  reverential  finger  towards  her 
new  divinity.  "  I  guess  maybe  I  turns  me 
the  dress  around.  Buttoned-in-front-mit- 
f rom-gold-button-suits  is  awful  stylish.  He's 
got  'em." 

.  "Think  shame  how  you  says,"  cried  Eva, 
with  loyal  eyes  upon  the  neatly  buttoned 
and  all  unsuspecting  back  of  Miss  Bailey, 
"Ain't  you  seen  how  is  Teacher's  back  ?" 

"  Ain't  I  monitors  off  of  it  ?  "  demanded 
Yetta.  "  Sure  I  know  how  is  it.  On'y  I 
don't  know  be  they  so  stylish.  Cops  ain't  got 
'em  und,  oh  Eva,  Cops  is  somethin'  grand ! 
I  turns  me  the  dress  around." 


[314] 


THE   TOUCH    OF   NATURE 

"There  is,"  wrote  the  authorities  with  a 
rare  enthusiasm,  "no  greater  power  for  the 
mental,  moral  and  physical  uplifting  of  the 
Child  than  a  knowledge  and  an  appreciation 
of  the  Beauties  of  Nature.  It  is  the  duty 
and  the  privilege  of  the  teacher  to  bring  this 
elevating  influence  into  the  lives  of  the  chil 
dren  for  whom  she  is  responsible." 

There  are  not  many  of  the  Beauties  of 
Nature  to  be  found  on  the  lower  East  Side  of 
New  York,  and  Miss  Bailey  found  this  por 
tion  of  her  duty  full  of  difficulty.  Excursions 
were  out  of  the  question,  and  she  discovered 
that  specimens  conveyed  but  crudely  errone- 
[315] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

ous  ideas  to  the  minds  of  her  little  people. 
She  was  growing  discouraged  at  the  halt 
ing  progress  of  the  First  Reader  Class  in 
Natural  Science  when,  early  in  October, 
the  Principal  ushered  into  Room  18,  Miss 
Eudora  Langdon,  Lecturer  on  Biology  and 
Nature  Study  in  a  Western  university,  a 
shining  light  in  the  world  of  education, 
and  an  orator  in  her  own  conceit. 

"  I  shall  leave  Miss  Langdon  with  you  for 
a  short  time,  Miss  Bailey,"  said  the  Princi 
pal  when  the  introductions  had  been  accom 
plished.  "  She  is  interested  in  the  questions 
which  are  troubling  you,  and  would  like 
to  speak  to  the  children  if  you  have  no 
objection." 

"Surely  none,"  replied  Miss  Bailey;  and 
when  the  Principal  had  retired  to  interview 
parents  and  book-agents,  she  went  on:  "I 
[316] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

find  it  difficult  to  make  Nature  Study  real  to 
the  children.  They  regard  it  all  as  fairy- 
lore." 

"Ah,  yes,"  the  visitor  admitted;  "it  does 
require  some  skill.  You  should  appeal  to 
their  sense  of  the  beautiful." 

"But  I  greatly  fear,"  said  Teacher  sadly, 
"  that  the  poor  babies  know  very  little  about 
beauty." 

"Then  develop  the  ideal,"  cried  Miss 
Langdon,  and  the  eyes  behind  her  glasses 
shone  with  zeal.  "Begin  this  very  day. 
Should  you  like  me  to  open  up  a  topic  ?" 

"If  you  will  be  so  very  good,"  said  Tea 
cher,  with  some  covert  amusement,  and 
Miss  Langdon,  laying  her  note-book  on  the 
desk,  turned  to  address  the  class.  Immedi 
ately  Nathan  Spiderwitz,  always  on  the  alert 
for  bad  news,  started  a  rumour  which  spread 
[317] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

from  desk  to  desk — "Miss  Bailey  could 
to  be  goin*  away.  This  could  be  a  new 
teacher." 

"My  dears,"  Miss  Eudora  began,  with 
deliberate  and  heavy  coyness;  "I'm  so  fond 
of  little  children!  I've  always  loved  them. 
That's  why  your  kind  Principal  brought  me 
here  to  talk  to  you.  Now,  wasn't  that  good 
of  him?" 

At  this  confirmation  of  their  fears  the 
First  Reader  Class  showed  so  moderate  a 
joy  that  Miss  Langdon  hurried  on:  "And 
what  would  you  like  me  to  tell  you  about  ?" 

"Lions,"  said  Patrick  Brennan  promptly. 
"Big  hairy  lions  with  teeth." 

The  visitor  paused  almost  blankly  while 
the  children  brightened.  Miss  Bailey  strug 
gled  with  a  rebellious  laugh,  but  Miss  Lang 
don  recovered  quickly. 

[318] 


THE   TOUCH    OF   NATURE 

"I  shall  tell  you,"  she  began  serenely, 
"  about  Beauty.  Beauty  is  one  of  the  great 
est  things  in  the  world.  Beauty  makes  us 
strong.  Beauty  makes  us  happy.  I  want 
you  all  to  think  —  think  hard  —  and  tell  me 
what  we  can  do  to  make  our  lives  more 
beautiful." 

Fifty-eight  pairs  of  troubled  eyes  sought 
inspiration  in  the  face  of  the  rightful  sover 
eign.  Fifty-eight  little  minds  wrestled 
dumbly. 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  must  help  you,"  said 
Miss  Eudora  with  elephantine  sprightliness. 
"Now,  children,  in  the  first  place  you  must 
always  read  beautiful  books;  then,  always 
look  at  beautiful  things;  and  lastly,  always 
think  beautiful  thoughts." 

"Miss  Langdon,"  Teacher  gently  inter 
posed,  "these  children  cannot  read  very 
[319] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

much  —  twenty-five  words  perhaps  —  and 
for  the  majority  of  them,  poor  little  things, 
this  school-room  is  the  prettiest  place  in  the 
world." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right.  My  text  is  right 
there,"  said  the  visitor,  with  a  nod  towards  a 
tree,  the  only  large  one  in  the  district,  which 
was  visible  through  the  window.  It  had  not 
yet  lost  its  leaves,  and  a  shower  during  the 
preceding  night  had  left  it  passably  green. 
Turning  to  the  children,  now  puzzled  into 
fretful  unhappiness,  she  clasped  her  hands, 
closed  her  eyes  in  rapture,  and  proceeded: 

"You  all  know  how  Beauty  helps  you. 
How  it  strengthens  you  for  your  work. 
Why,  in  the  morning  when  you  come  to 
school  you  see  a  beautiful  thing  which  cheers 
you  for  the  whole  day.  Now,  see  if  you 
can't  tell  me  what  it  is." 
[320] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

Another  heavy  silence  followed  and  Miss 
Langdon  turned  again  to  Teacher. 

"Don't  you  teach  them  by  the  Socratic 
method  ?"  she  asked  loftily. 

"Oh,  yes,"  Miss  Bailey  replied,  and 
then,  with  a  hospitable  desire  to  make  her 
guest  feel  quite  at  home,  she  added :  "  But 
facts  must  be  closely  correlated  with  their 
thought-content.  Their  apperceiving  basis 
is  not  large." 

"Ah,  yes;  of  course,"  said  the  expert 
vaguely,  but  with  a  new  consideration,  and 
then  to  the  waiting  class:  "Children,  the 
beautiful  thing  I'm  thinking  of  is  green. 
Can't  you  think  of  something  green  and 
beautiful  which  you  see  every  morning  ?" 

Eva  Gonorowsky's  big  brown  eyes  fixed 
solemnly  upon  Teacher,  flamed  with  sud 
den  inspiration,  and  Teacher  stiffened  with 
[321] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

an  equally  sudden  fear.  For  smoothly 
starched  and  green  was  her  whole  shirt 
waist,  and  carefully  tied  and  green  was  her 
neat  stock. 

Eva  whispered  jubilantly  to  Morris  Mo- 
gilewsky,  and  another  rumour  swept  the 
ranks.  Intelligence  flashed  into  face  after 
face,  and  Miss  Bailey  knew  that  her  fear 
was  not  unfounded,  for,  though  Miss  Lang- 
don  was  waving  an  explanatory  arm  towards 
the  open  window,  the  gaze  of  the  First 
Reader  Class,  bright  with  appreciation  and 
amusement,  was  fixed  on  its  now  distracted 
teacher. 

"You  can  see  this  beautiful  green  joy 
sometimes  when  you  are  in  the  street,"  Miss 
Langdon  ambled  on;  "but  you  see  it  best 
when  you  are  here." 

Three  hands  shot  up  into  the  quiet  air. 
[322] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"And  I  don't  think  the  children  in  the 
other  rooms  see  it  as  well  as  you  do." 

"No  ma' an,"  cried  a  delighted  chorus, 
and  eight  more  hands  were  raised.  Prompt 
ing  was  reckless  now  and  hands  sprang  up  in 
all  directions. 

"No,  I  don't  think  they  do,"  Miss  Lang- 
don  agreed.  "  I  think  perhaps  that  Heaven 
meant  it  just  for  you.  Just  for  the  good  lit 
tle  boys  and  girls  in  this  room." 

The  enthusiasm  grew  wild  and  general. 
Miss  Langdon  turned  a  glance  of  triumph 
upon  Miss  Bailey,  and  was  somewhat  sur 
prised  by  the  very  scarlet  confusion  which 
she  saw. 

"It's  all  in  the  method,"  she  said  with 
pride,  and,  to  the  class :     "  Now,  can  you  tell 
me  the  name  of  this  beautiful  green  thing 
which  makes  us  all  so  happy  ?" 
[323] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

And  the  answer  was  a  great,  glad  cry  of. 
"  Teacher's  jumper ! " 

"What?" 

"Teacher's  jumper!"  shouted  the  chil 
dren  as  before,  and  Eva  Gonorowsky,  who 
had  been  the  first  to  guess  the  jocular  lady's 
meaning,  put  it  more  plainly. 

"  Missis  Bailey's  got  a  green  waist.  Green 
is  all  the  style  this  year." 

Miss  Langdon  sat  down  suddenly ;  stared ; 
gasped;  and  then,  as  she  was  a  clever  wom 
an,  laughed. 

"Miss  Bailey,"  she  said,  "you  have  a 
problem  here.  I  wish  you  all  success,  but 
the  apperceiving  basis  is,  as  you  say,  very 
limited." 

To  the  solving  of  this  problem  Teacher 
bent  all  her  energies.  Through  diligent 
research  she  learned  that  the  reading  aloud 
[324] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

of  standard  poems  has  been  known  to  do 
wonders  of  mental  and  moral  uplifting. 
But  standard  poems  are  not  commonly 
adapted  to  minds  six  years  old  and  of  foreign 
extraction,  so  that  Miss  Bailey,  though  she 
explained,  paraphrased,  and  commented, 
hardly  flattered  herself  that  the  result  was 
satisfactory.  In  courteous  though  puzzled 
silence  the  First  Reader  Class  listened  to 
enough  of  the  poetry  of  the  ages  to  have 
lifted  them  as  high  as  Heaven.  Words 
worth,  Longfellow,  Browning,  any  one  who 
had  seen  and  written  of  the  beauty  of  bird 
or  growing  thing,  was  pressed  into  service. 
And  then  one  day  Miss  Bailey  brought  her 
Shelley  down  and  read  his  "Ode  to  the 
Skylark." 

"Now,  don't  you  think  that's  a  pretty 
thing?"  she  asked.     "Did  you  hear  how 
[325] 


LITTLE    CITIZENS 

the  lark  went  singing,  bright  and  clear,  up 
and  up  and  up  into  the  blue  sky  ?" 

The  children  were  carefully  attentive,  as 
ever,  but  not  responsive.  Morris  Mogilew- 
sky  felt  that  he  had  alone  understood  the  na 
ture  of  this  story.  It  was  meant  to  amuse; 
therefore  it  was  polite  that  one  should  be 
amused. 

"Teacher  fools,"  he  chuckled.  "Larks 
ain't  singin'  in  skies." 

"How  do  you  know  ?"  asked  Miss  Bailey. 

'  'Cause  we  got  a  lark  by  our  house.  It's 
a  from  tin  lark  mit  a  cover." 

"A  tin  lark!  With  a  cover!"  Miss 
Bailey  exclaimed.  "Are  you  sure,  dear, 
that  you  know  what  you  are  talking  about  ?" 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma'an,  I  know,"  Morris 
began  deliberately.  "My  papa,  he  has  a 
lark.  It's  a  from  tin  lark  mit  a  cover.  Und 
[326] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

its  got  a  handle  too.  TJnd  my  papa  he  takes 
it  all  times  on  the  store  for  buy  a  lark  of 
beer." 

"Lager  beer!  Oh,  shade  of  Shelley!" 
groaned  Miss  Bailey's  spirit,  but  aloud  she 
only  said :  "  No,  my  dear,  I  wasn't  reading 
about  lager  beer.  A  lark  is  a  little  bird." 

"Well,"  Morris  began  with  renewed  con 
fidence,  "  I  know  what  is  a  bird.  My  auntie 
she  had  one  from  long.  She  says  like  that, 
she  should  give  it  to  me,  but  my  mamma  she 
says,  cNo,  birds  is  foolishness.'  But  I  know 
what  is  a  bird .  He  scups  on  a  stick  in  a  cage . ' ' 

"So  he  does,"  agreed  Miss  Bailey,  rightly 
inferring  from  Morris's  expressive  panto 
mime  thatto"scup"  was  to  swing.  "But 
sometimes  he  flies  up  into  the  sky  in  the  coun 
try,  as  I  was  reading  to  you.  Were  you  ever 
in  the  country?" 

[  327  ] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  What  country  ?  "  asked  Morris.     "  Rus 
sia  ?     I  comes  out  of  Russia.' ' 

"No,  not  Russia.  Not  any  particular 
country.  Just  the  open  country  where  the 
flowers  grow." 

"No  ma' an,  I  ain't  seen  it,"  said  the  child 
gently.  "But  I  was  once  to  Tompkins 
Square.  On'y  it  was  winter  und  snow  lays 
on  it.  I  ain't  seen  no  flowers." 

"And  do  none  of  you  know  anything 
about  the  country?"  asked  Teacher  sadly. 

"Oh,  yiss  ma'an,  I  know,"  said  Eva  Go- 
norowsky.  "The  country  is  the  Fresh  Air 
Fund." 

"Then  you've  been  there,"  cried  Miss 
Bailey.  "  Tell  us  about  it,  Eva." 

"No  ma'an,  I  ain't  seen  it,"  said  Eva 
proudly.     "I'm  healthy.     But  a  girl  on  my 
block  she  had  a  sickness  und  so  she  goes. 
[328] 


THE    TOUCH    OF   NATURE 

She  tells  me  all  times  how  is  the  country. 
It's  got  grass  stickin'  right  up  out  of  it. 
Grass  und  flowers !  No  ma' an,  I  ain't  never 
seen  it:  I  don't  know  where  is  it  even, 
but  oh!  it  could  to  be  awful  pretty!" 

"Yes,  honey,  it  is,"  said  Teacher.  "Very, 
very  pretty.  When  I  was  a  little  girl  I  lived 
in  the  country." 

"All  day?  "asked  Morris. 

"Yes,  all  day." 

"Und  all  night?" 

"Yes,  dear." 

"  Oh,  poor  Miss  Bailey,"  crooned  Eva.  "  It 
could  to  be  a  awful  sickness  what  you  had." 

"  No,  I  was  very  well.  I  lived  in  the  coun 
try  because  my  father  had  a  house  there, 
and  I  played  all  day  in  the  garden." 

"Weren't  you  scared  of  the  lions  ?"  asked 
Patrick  in  incredulous  admiration. 
[329] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  We  had  no  lions,"  Miss  Bailey  explained 
apologetically.  "But  we  had  rabbits  and 
guinea  pigs  and  a  horse  and  a  cow  and 
chickens  and  ducks  and  —  and  — " 

"Und  eleflints,"  Morris  suggested  hope 
fully. 

"No,  we  had  no  elephants,"  Teacher  was 
forced  to  admit.  "  But  we  had  a  turtle  and 
a  monkey." 

"Did  your  papa  have  a  organ?"  asked 
Sadie  Gonorowsky.  "  Organs  mit  monkeys 
is  stylish  for  mans." 

" Think  shame  how  you  says!"  cried  her 
cousin  Eva  reproachfully.  "Teacher  ain't 
no  Ginney.  Organs  ain't  for  Sheenies. 
They  ain't  for  Krishts  even.  They  all,  all 
for  Ginney s." 

"So's  monkeys,"  said  Sadie,  unabashed. 
"Und  organs  mit  monkeys  is  stylish." 
[330] 


THE  TOUCH  OF  NATURE 
The  children's  deep  interest  in  the  ani 
mal  kingdom  gave  Miss  Bailey  the  point  of 
departure  for  which  she  had  been  seeking. 
She  abandoned  Wordsworth  and  Shelley, 
and  she  bought  a  rabbit  and  a  pair  of  white 
mice.  The  First  Reader  Class  was  en 
chanted.  A  canary  in  a  gilded  cage  soon 
hung  before  the  window  and  "scupped" 
most  energetically  while  gold-fish  in  their 
bowl  swam  lazily  back  and  forth.  From  these 
living  texts,  Miss  Bailey  easily  preached 
care  and  kindness  towards  all  creatures,  and 
Room  18  came  to  be  an  energetic  though  in 
dependent  branch  of  the  S.  P.  C.  A. 

The  most  sincere  and  zealous  worker  in 
the  new  field  was  Morris  Mogilewsky,  Mon 
itor  of  the  Gold-Fish  Bowl.  Day  after  day 
he  earned  new  smiles  and  commendations 
from  his  liege  lady  by  reports  of  cats  and 
[331] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

kittens  fed  and  warmed,  and  of  dogs  rescued 
from  torment.  He  was  awakened  one  night 
by  the  cries  of  an  outcast  cat  and  followed 
the  sounds  to  the  roof  of  his  tenement  only 
to  find  that  they  came  from  another  roof 
further  down  the  block.  The  night  was  wet 
and  blustering,  but  Morris  was  undismayed. 
He  crawled  over  walls  and  round  chimneys 
until  he  reached  the  cat  and  dragged  her 
back  to  safety  and  refreshment.  When,  in 
the  early  dark  of  the  next  morning,  Mrs. 
Mogilewsky  discovered  that  the  elements  of 
the  family  breakfast  had  been  lavished  on 
the  wanderer,  she  showed  some  natural  re 
sentment,  but  when  she  understood  that 
such  prodigality  was  encouraged,  even  re 
warded,  in  high  places,  her  wrath  was  very 
great. 

"  So-o-oh,  you  foolishness  like  that  on  the 
[33£] 


THE   TOUCH    OF   NATURE 

school  learns!"  she  fumed.  "Und  your 
teacher  she  learns  you  you  should  like  so  mit 
your  papa's  breakfast  und  cats  make!  She 
is  then  fine  teacher!" 

"  She's  a  awful  nice  teacher,"  cried  Mor 
ris,  with  hot  loyalty.  "Awful  nice.  Sooner 
you  seen  her  sooner  you  could  to  be  loving 
mit  her  too.  Ain't  you  never  comin'  on  the 
school  for  to  see  mine  teacher  ?" 

"No!"  his  mother  almost  shrieked.  "No! 
I  seen  her  on  the  street  once  und  she  had 
looks  off  of  Krishts.  I  don't  need  no 
Krishts.  You  don't  need  them  neither. 
They  ain't  for  us.  You  ain't  so  big  like  1 
could  to  tell  you  how  they  makes  mit  us  in 
Russia.  I  don't  like  you  should  hold  so 
much  over  no  Krisht.  For  us  they  is  devils." 

"Teacher  ain't  no  devil,"  cried  Morris, 
and  he  would  have  laid  down  his  loyal  life 
[333] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

to  have  been  able  to  add  now,  as  he  had 
some  months  earlier,  "she  ain't  no  Krisht 
neither,"  but  he  knew  that  his  mother  had 
guessed  truly.  Teacher  was  a  Christian, 
she  had  told  him  so,  and  he  had  sworn  to 
protect  her  secret. 

His  mother's  constant  though  generally 
smouldering  hostility  towards  Miss  Bailey 
troubled  and  puzzled  him.  In  fact,  many 
things  were  beyond  his  understanding. 
Night  after  night  he  lay  in  his  corner  behind 
the  stove  and  listened  while  his  father  and 
his  father's  friends  railed  against  the  Chris 
tians  and  the  Czar.  He  had  seen  strange 
meetings  of  grim  and  intent  men,  had  lis 
tened  to  low  reading  of  strange  threats  and 
mad  reviling.  And  always  he  gathered  that 
the  Christian  was  a  thing  unspeakable,  un 
knowable,  without  truth,  or  heart  or  trust 
[334] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

A  thing  to  be  feared  and  hated  now  but. 
in  the  glorious  future,  when  the  God  of 
Israel  should  be  once  more  remindful  of 
his  people,  a  thing  to  be  triumphed  over 
and  trampled  on. 

Yet  each  morning  Morris  waited  at  the 
big  school  door  for  the  smile  of  a  lady's  face, 
the  touch  of  a  lady's  hand,  and  each  day  he 
learned  new  gentleness  and  love,  new  inter 
ests  and  new  wonders  under  her  calm-eyed 
dominion.  And  behold,  the  lady  was  a 
Christian,  and  he  loved  her  and  she  was  very 
good  to  him ! 

For  his  bright  service  to  the  cause  of  Na 
ture  in  the  matter  of  the  cat,  she  had  deco 
rated  him,  not  with  a  button  or  a  garter  — 
though  neither  would  have  been  inappro 
priate  —  but  with  a  ring  bearing  his  initials 
gorgeously  entwined.  Then  proud  and 
[335] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

happy  was  Morris  Mogilewsky,  and  wild 
was  the  emulation  of  other  members  of 
the  First  Reader  Class.  Then  serious  was 
Teacher's  account  with  a  jeweller  over  in 
Columbia  Street  and  grave  her  doubts  as  to 
Herr  Froebel's  blessing  on  the  scheme.  But 
the  problem  was  solved.  Of  all  the  busy 
hours  in  Room  18's  crowded  day,  there  was 
none  more  happy  than  that  devoted  to 
"  Nature  Study  —  Domestic  Animals  and 
Home  Pets." 

And  then  one  morning  Morris  failed  to 
answer  to  the  roll-call.  Never  had  he  been 
absent  since  his  first  day  at  school,  and  Miss 
Bailey  was  full  of  uneasiness.  Nathan 
Spiderwitz,  Morris's  friend  and  ally,  was 
also  missing,  but  at  half-past  nine  he  ar 
rived  entirely  breathless  and  shockingly 
untidy. 

[336|J 


THE   TOUCH    OF   NATURE 

"Nathan,"  said  Teacher  reprovingly, 
"you  are  very  late." 

"  Yiss  ma'an.  I  tells  you  'scuse,"  gasped 
Nathan.  "  On'y  Morris—" 

"Where  is  he?"  cried  Miss  Bailey.  "Is 
there  anything  the  matter  with  him  ?" 

"  Yiss  ma'an.  He  ain't  got  no  more  that 
golden  ring  what  you  gives  him  over  that 
cat." 

A  murmur  of  commiseration  swept  through 
the  room.  "Oh,  poor  Morris!"  sighed  Eva 
Gonorowsky.  "Ain't  that  fierce!  From 
sure  gold  rings  is  awful  stylish  und  they  cost 
whole  bunches  of  money." 

"  Morris  is  a  silly  little  boy,"  said  Teacher 
crossly,  for  she  had  been  frightened,  as  it 
now  seemed,  to  no  purpose.  "I'll  measure 
his  finger  for  a  new  ring  when  he  comes  in." 

"He  ain't  comin',"  said  Nathan  briefly. 
[337] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"  Not  coming  to  school  simply  because  he 
lost  a  ring!  Nonsense!  Nathan,  you  just 
run  back  to  Morris's  house  and  tell  him  he 
must  come.  Tell  him  I'll  give  him  a  new 
ring  and  — " 

"But  he  ain't  to  his  house,"  Nathan  ob 
jected.  "  I  seen  how  he  goes  away." 

:*  Well,  then,  how  did  he  go  away  ?" 

"Teacher,  it's  like  this.  Me  und  Morris 
we  stands  by  our  block  when  comes  the 
baker's  wagon.  Und  the  baker  he  goes  in 
the  groc'ry  store  to  sell  bread  und  his  wagon 
und  horse  stands  by  us.  Und,  say,  on  the 
horse's  face  is  something,  from  leather,  so 
the  horse  couldn't  to  eat.  He  couldn't  to 
open  his  mouth  even.  But  all  times  he 
longs  out  his  neck  like  he  should  eat  und  he 
looks  on  me  und  Morris.  So  Morris  he 
says;  'Ain't  it  fierce  how  that  bad  man 
[338] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

makes  mit  that  horse?  Something  from 
leather  on  the  face  ain't  healthy  for  horses, 
I  guess  I  takes  it  off.' " 

"But  he  didn't,  Nathan?" 

**Yiss  ma'an,  he  takes  it  off.  He  says 
like  that:  'You  know  how  Teacher  says 
we  should  make  all  times  what  is  lovin'  mit 
dogs  und  cats  und  horses.*  Und  say,  Tea 
cher,  Missis  Bailey,  that's  how  you  says. 
He  had  a  ring  over  it.  A  from  sure  gold 
ring  mit  his  name  — " 

"  But  the  horse ?  "  Miss  Bailey  interrupted. 
"The  horse  with  the  muzzle.  I  remember, 
dear,  what  I  said,  but  I  hope  Morris  didn't 
touch  that  baker's  horse." 

"Sure    did    he,"    cried    Nathan.      "He 
buttons  out  that  thing  what  I  told  you  from 
leather,  on  the  horse's  face,  und  the  horse 
he  swallows  the  golden  ring." 
[339J) 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

tfWhy,  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing," 
gasped  Miss  Bailey.  And  Nathan  explained. 

"Morris,  he  gives  the  horse  a  sweet  po 
tato  und  the  horse  he  swallows  the  golden 
ring.  He  swallows  it  way,  way,  WAY  down. 
Und  it  was  from  sure  gold—" 

"But  it  must  have  been  very  loose  or  it 
wouldn't  have  come  off  his  finger  so  easily." 

"It  didn't  come  off,"  said  Nathan  pa 
tiently.  "The  horse  he  swallowed  the  fin 
ger  too  —  four  fingers  —  und  it  was  from 
sure  gold  ring  mit  his  name  scratched  in 
on  it,  what  he  had  off  of  you,  Teacher,  for 
present  over  that  cat." 

"Oh,  you  must  be  wrong,"  cried  Miss 
Bailey,  "it  can't  be  as  bad  as  you  say." 

"  Yiss  ma' an,  from  sure  gold  mit  — " 

"But  his  hand.  Are  you  sure  about  his 
hand?" 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"1  seen  it,"  said  Nathan.  "I  seen  how 
comes  blood  on  the  sidewalk.  I  seen  how 
comes  a  great  big  all  of  people.  I  seen  how 
comes  Morris's  mamma  und  hollers  like  a  fair 
theayter.  I  seen  how  comes  Patrick  Bren- 
nan's  papa  —  he's  a  cop  —  und  he  makes 
come  the  amb'lance.  Und  sooner  the  doctor 
seen  how  comes  blood  on  the  sidewalk  he 
says  like  this :  so  Morris  bleeds  four  more 
inches  of  blood  he  don't  got  no  more  blood 
in  his  body.  Say,  I  seen  right  into  Morris 
He's  red  inside.  So-o-oh,  the  doctor  he 
bandages  up  his  hand  und  takes  him  in  the 
amb'lance,  und  all  times  his  mamma  hollers 
und  yells  und  says  mad  words  on  the  doctor 
so  he  had  a  mad  over  her.  Und  Morris  he  lays 
in  the  amb'lance  und  cries.  Now  he's  sick." 

School  dragged  heavily  that  morning  for 
the  distressed  and  powerless  Miss  Bailey. 
[341  J 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

3he  thought  remorsefully  of  the  trusty 
armour  of  timidity  which  she  had,  plate  by 
plate,  stripped  from  her  favourite,  and  of 
the  bravery  and  loving  kindness  which  she 
had  so  carefully  substituted  and  which  had 
led  the  child  —  Where  ? 

"Nathan,"  she  called  as  the  children  were 
going  home,  "  do  you  know  to  what  hospital 
Morris  was  taken?  Did  you  see  the 
doctor?" 

"Sure  did  I." 

"Was  he  a  tall  doctor?  Had  you  ever 
seen  him  before  ?" 

"No  ma'an,"  answered  Nathan  with  a 
beautiful  directness.  "It  wasn't  your  fel 
low  We  ain't  seen  him  from  long.  But 
Morris  he  goes  on  the  Guv'neer  Hospital.  L 
ain't  never  seen  the  doctor,  but  I  knows  the 
driver  und  the  horse." 

[342] 


THE    TOUCH   OP  NATURE 

Shortly  after  three  o'clock  that  afternoon 
Miss  Bailey  and  Doctor  Ingraham  were 
standing  beside  a  little  bed  in  Gouverneur 
Hospital. 

"Nathan  is  a  horrible  little  liar,"  said  the 
doctor  genially.  "  Morris  will  be  as  well  as 
ever  in  a  week  or  so.  The  horse  stood  on 
his  foot  and  bruised  it  rather  badly,  but  he 
has  all  his  fingers  and  his  ring  too.  Haven't 
you,  old  man?" 

'Yiss  ma' an,  yiss  sir;  I  got  it  here,"  an 
swered  the  boy,  as,  with  his  uninjured  hand, 
he  drew  up  his  battered  trophy,  hung  about 
his  neck  on  a  piece  of  antiseptic  gauze.  "It's 
from  sure  gold  und  you  gives  it  to  me  over 
that  cat.  But  say,  Teacher,  Missis  Bailey, 
horses  ain't  like  cats." 

"No,  dear,  I  know;  that  was  a  wicked 
horse." 

[343] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Yiss  ma' an;  I  guess  you  don't  know 
'bout  horses.  You  said  boys  should  make 
all  times  what  is  loving  mit  horses,  but 
horses  don't  make  what  is  lovin'  mit  boys. 
Und  my  mamma  she  says  it's  a  foolishness 
you  should  make  what  is  lovin'  mit  some 
body  sooner  somebody  don't  make  what  is 
loving  mit  you." 

"That,"  said  Dr.  Ingraham,  with  a  re 
proachful  eye  upon  Miss  Bailey,  "is  one  of 
the  truest  truths  in  all  the  laws  and  the 
prophets.  '  A  foolishness '  it  certainly  is." 

"That's  how  my  mamma  says,"  Morris 
plaintively  continued.  "Und  I  guess  she 
knows.  I  done  it  und  now  I'm  got  a  sick 
ness  over  it." 

"Of  course  you  have,"  acquiesced  the 
doctor.  "  So  have  I.  We  all  get  it  at  times 
and  its  name  is  - 

[344] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"Don't  listen  to  him,  honey,"  Miss  Bailey 
interrupted.  "You  will  be  all  right  again 
in  a  few  weeks." 

"Years,"  interposed  the  doctor. 

"And  while  you  are  here  I  shall  come  to 
see  you  every  day  to  bring  you  books  and 
candy  and  to  tell  you  stories." 

"Tell  me  one  now,"  Morris  implored. 
"Take  off  your  hat  so  I  can  put  mine  head 
at  your  necktie,  und  then  you  should  tell  me 
that  story  over, '  Once  upon  some  time  when 
that  world  was  young.' ' 

It  was  nearly  five  o'clock  when  Miss 
Bailey  gently  disengaged  herself  and  set  out 
upon  her  uptown  way.  She  passed  from 
the  hush  of  the  hospital  walls  and  halls  into 
another  phase  of  her  accountability.  Upon 
the  steps,  a  woman,  wild-eyed  and  dishev 
elled,  was  hurling  an  unintelligible  mixture 
[345] 


LITTLE  CITIZENS 

of  pleading  and  abuse  upon  the  stalwart 
frame  of  Patrick  Brennan's  father,  the  po 
liceman  on  the  beat.  The  woman  tore  her 
hair,  wept,  and  beat  her  breast,  but  Mr. 
Brennan's  calm  was  impassive. 

'You  can't  see  him,"  he  remarked. 
"Didn't  they  tell  you  that  Thursday  was 
visiting  day?  Well,  and  isn't  this  Choos- 
day  ?  Go  home  now  and  shut  up." 

"Mine  Gott,  he  will  die!"  wailed  the 
woman. 

"Not  he,"  said  Mr.  Brennan.  "Go 
home  now  and  come  back  on  Thursday. 
There's  no  good  standing  there.  And 
there's  no  good  in  coming  back  in  half  an 
hour*  You'll  not  see  him  before  Thurs 
day." 

The  woman  fell  to  wild  weeping  and 
her  sympathetic  neighbours  followed  suit 
[346] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"Ach,  mine  little  boy!"  she  wailed.  "Mine 
arme  little  Morris!"  And  "arme  little 
Morris"  the  neighbours  echoed. 

"Morris  Mogilewsky?"  asked  Miss 
Bailey. 

'Yes    ma' an,"    answered    Mr.    Brennan 
with  a  shrug. 

"Yes  ma'an,"  cried  the  neighbours  in 
shrill  chorus. 

"Yes  ma'an,"  wailed  the  woman.  "Mine 
Morris.  They  makes  I  shouldn't  to  see 
him.  They  takes  him  here  the  while  he  gets 
killed  off  of  a  horse." 

"Killed  und  chawed  off  of  a  horse," 
shrieked  the  comforting  neighbours. 

"And  are  you  his  mother  ?"  pursued  Miss 
Bailey. 

'Yes    ma'an,"    they    all    answered    as 
before. 

[347] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"Very  well,  I  think  I  can  take  you  to  see 
him.  But  not  if  you  are  going  to  be 
noisy." 

A  stillness  as  of  death  settled  upon  Mrs. 
Mogilewsky  as  she  sank  down  at  Miss  Bai 
ley's  feet  in  dumb  appeal.  And  Constance 
Bailey  saw  in  the  eyes,  so  like  Morris's, 
fixed  upon  her  face,  a  world  of  misery 
which  she  had  surely  though  innocently 
wrought. 

Dr.  Ingraham  was  summoned  and  bent 
to  Miss  Bailey's  will.  A  few  moments  later 
Morris's  languid  gaze  embraced  his  mother, 
his  teacher,  and  his  doctor.  The  latter 
found  Mrs.  Mogilewsky 's  woe  impervious 
to  any  soothing.  " Chawed  off  of  a  horse!" 
she  whimpered.  "All  the  child  what  I  got, 
chawed  off  of  a  horse!" 

"Wicked  old  horse!"  ejaculated  Teacher. 
[348] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"Crazy  old  Teacher!"  snorted  Mrs.  Mo- 
gilewsky.  "Fool  old  Teacher!  I  sends  my 
little  boy  on  the  school  so  he  should  the 
English  write  und  talk  und  the  numbers 
learn  so  he  comes  —  through  the  years  may 
be  —  American  man,  und  she  learns  him 
foolishness  over  dogs  und  cats  und  horses. 
Crazy,  crazy,  crazy!" 

"Oh,  come  now.  That's  rather  strong," 
remonstrated  Doctor  Ingraham,  with  a 
quizzical  glance  at  Miss  Bailey.  Mrs.  Mo- 
gilewsky  wheeled  towards  her  benefactress. 

"Do  you  know  Morris's  teacher?"  she 
asked  eagerly.  "Ach,  lady,  kind  lady,  tell 
me  where  is  her  house ;  I  like  I  shall  tell  her 
how  she  make  sickness  on  my  little  boy. 
He  lays  on  the  bed  over  her.  I  like  I  should 
tell  her  somethings." 

"Mrs.  Mogilewsky,"  began  Miss  Bailey, 
[349] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

gently,  "there  is  nothing  you  could  say 
to  her  that  would  make  her  more  sorry 
than  she  is.  She  is  broken  -  hearted  al 
ready,  and  if  you  don't  stop  talking  like 
that  you  will  make  her  cry.  And  then 
Morris  would  surely  cry  too;  shouldn't  you, 
dearie?" 

"Teacher,  yiss  ma'an,"  quavered  Morris. 

"You!"  groaned  Mrs.  Mogilewsky.  "Be 
you  Morris's  teacher?  Gott,  how  I  makes 
mistakes!  So  you  learn  him  that  foolish 
ness  extra  so  he  gets  chawed  off  of  horses  ?  " 

"Nonsense,"  interposed  the  doctor. 
"Miss  Bailey  is  ridiculously  fond  of  that 
child  of  yours." 

"So-o-oh,"  began  Mrs.  Mogilewsky. 
"So-o-oh,  she  ain't  done  it  extra  ?" 

"Purposely?  Of  course  not,"  answered 
the  doctor. 

[350] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"Ach,  well,  I  should  better  maybe,  ex 
cuse  her."  Mrs.  Mogilewsky,  placated  and 
bland,  resumed:  "I  excuse  her  the  while 
she  ain't  so  awful  old.  She  makes,  some 
times,  mistakes  too.  I  like  you  should 
come  —  the  both  —  on  my  house  for  see  me 
some  day.  That  makes  me  glad  in  mine 
heart." 

"Oh  mamma,  mamma,"  cried  Morris, 
"they  couldn't  to  come  by  our  house.  They 
is  Krishts.  She  is  Krishts  und  he  is  Krishts. 
From  long  she  tells  me.  Und  you  says,  you 
says  — " 

"Think  shame,"  his  mother  admonished 
him.  "Ain't  you  seen  how  she  is  lovin'  mit 
you  ?  Und  Morris,  mine  golden  one,  I  am 
all  times  lovin'  mit  somebody  what  is  lovin' 
mit  you.  Ain't  I  excused  her  over  it  und 
made  her  invitation  on  my  house  ? " 
[351] 


LITTLE   CITIZENS 

"And  we  shall  be  delighted,"  said  the 
doctor,  as  he  led  the  speechless  Miss  Bailey 
away.  "It  is  uncommonly  good  of  you  to 
have  forgiven  her.  But,  as  you,  with  keenest 
insight,  discern,  she  is  not  very  old.  Per 
haps  she  will  reform." 

"Reform!  I  hate  the  very  word,"  sighed 
Miss  Bailey,  for  the  day  had  been  try 
ing  and  her  discouragement  was  great. 
"I've  been  trying  to  reform  these  people 
ever  since  I  came  down  here.  I've  failed 
and  failed  and  failed;  misunderstood  time 
and  time  again;  made  mistake  after  mis 
take.  And  now  I've  nearly  killed  that 
boy.  The  woman  was  right.  It  was  all 
my  fault." 

"It  might  be  better — "  began  the  Doctor 
and  halted.  "You  might  be  happier  if 
you—" 

[352] 


THE    TOUCH    OF    NATURE 

"Resigned  ? "  suggested  Teacher.  "  Yes, 
sometimes  I  think  I  shall." 

"Do,"  said  Doctor  Ingraham.  "That's 
a  capital  beginning." 

THE  END 


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